As per a report in The Arunachal Times, the bungalow, situated at Niti Vihar area in the state capital, was inaugurated on April 7 in the presence of several holy men and women of various religions offering prayers and blessings to drive away any negative force. 

‘Haunted building’

Infamous for its “bad vibes” and rumoured “supernatural activities”, the CM’s residence earned moniker of haunted building after former chief minister Kalikho Pul committed suicide on August 9 last year in one of the rooms.

Barely two months later, a staff of the bungalow was also found hanging from the ceiling of an adjoining room there. Two chief ministers, Dorjee Khandu and Jarbom Gamlin, who had lived there, met with untimely deaths. While Khandu died in a chopper crash, Jarbom died of prolonged illness.

Interestingly, some bungalow employees had also alleged “paranormal activities” in the form of noises and of alarms going off unexpectedly in the middle of the night. All this spread fears that the bungalow was haunted and possessed by evil spirits.

However, Minister for Town Planning and Urban Development, Nabam Rebia, who supervised the ceremonial procedure rejected the haunted theory and said the rituals were conducted to eliminate public apprehension about the bungalow and dispelling fears, as per The Eastern Sentinel.

Vastu fault?

After the Arunachal government and media described the building as ‘haunted, Rajkumar Jhanjhari, a vastu consultant from Guwahati wrote a letter to The Arunachal Times saying that vastu fault was behind the unexpected events in the bungalow, and not ghosts.

Dismissing the theory, he claimed that millions of people are facing accident and premature death in India every year due to vastu faults. 

He then stated that govt. should take necessary steps to correct the vastu faults of the bungalow as religious rituals won’t work in this case.

Fate of the guest house?

Apart from housing visitors and guests, the guest house will be also be used as a training centre for civil service officers.

But isn’t it a waste of infrastructure?

The construction of the state-of-the art CM bungalow, undisputed in terms of its generous design and grandeur, started during 2007-08 and was completed in the year 2009-10 with an estimated cost of Rs 59.55 crore during the regime of late former Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu.

Turning it into a guest house would mean fewer occupants and given its ill-fated reputation, it’s hardly likely that it will find any takers.

In the name of superstition, the govt’s move seems like a complete waste of a perfectly-architectured property and a clear poverty of our mindsets.