27 deaths in month make village pray

BALVERA (Patiala): Residents of this village have seen a tragic and shocking time in the past month with 27 among them dying due to cardiac arrest or road accidents during the said period.
They believe the new year has come with bad luck for them and the change in position of planets had created serious problems for them.
They got an Akhand Path conducted on February 15 and also organized a langar on Friday.Since the completion of the path, there have been no other deaths.
People gathered at the Jattan Wali inn near the village, where the langar was held, stated that residents started dying after January 7 and most of the deceased had been youngsters.
They stated that around 20 of them died due to head injuries and had sustained almost no other damage in accidents. The remaining had cardiac arrest and most of them had never reported any health problems in the past.
"We came to the conclusion that the stars were to blame. The number of head injuries strengthened the belief. In heart attack cases, the deceased went to sleep without reporting any problems and were found dead in the morning. All of our village is feeling terrorized. We are not allowing youths to ride their bikes,`` said village sarpanch Prem Singh.
He added that the road accident victims were in the age group of 20-40 years and those dying of heart conditions were between 30-50 years old.
Khushpal Singh, who studies in a Patiala college, said, "I have not attended college for the past 10 days as my parents won`t allow me to go there fearing for my life. I am preparing for my final exams at home."
Residents of surrounding villages are also scared of the situation and avoid going to Balvera. "We have not gone there for last 20 days as we fear something fatal may occur," said Kirpal Singh, a farmer working the fields in nearby Panjola.
Village Youth Club`s president Naib Singh said the Akhand Path and langar had made the situation of stars safer.