Superstitions galore! New 'miracle tree' pops up in MP; 'specialises' in treating chronic backaches

Bhopal: The sudden popularity of an alleged 'healing tree' in Narsinghpur village in Madhya Pradesh's Satpura Tiger Reserve has been giving local administration, police and forest department officials sleepless nights. Locals believe that the Mahua tree has special powers that can cure problems, health-related or otherwise.

Now, the number of such trees seems to be growing by the day.

Earlier this week, an altercation took place between cops managing the crowd and a mob of citizens visiting the site to seek its blessings. In the violence that ensued, as many as 12 policemen incurred injuries. They are being treated at hospitals across the Hoshangabad district. Section 144 was imposed in the area following the incident on Wednesday.

However, it seems like another 'healing tree' has now sprung up in the region. This one is located in the Detpon village and locals believe that it has 'divine powers' which allow it to cure chronic backaches. The video of an elderly man hugging the tree and claiming that it gave him "75 per cent relief from backache". According to a report, this is the same tree in Detpon village which is usurping the popularity of the Mahua tree in Narsinghpur village where the entry has been restricted since violence broke out at the site.

Thousands of people from across the state have been frequenting the Mahua tree in Narsinghpur village since September of this year. In the aftermath of the Wednesday violence, police barred the entry of an outsider in the area around the tree. In addition, 35 villagers have been booked for assaulting police officers, one of whom incurred severe head injuries during the assault.

Multiple reports have confirmed that the myth of the 'healing tree' began when one farmer named Roop Singh Thakur claimed that he was walking home when "the tree pulled him towards itself". "I could not break away for ten minutes after which my lisp was cured," Thakur has been telling fellow villagers. 

However, the local administration and wildlife department officials fear that the growing popularity of these 'healing trees' will lead to havoc in the ecologically sensitive buffer zone where they are located. A stampede or animal attack can also happen at these sites where hundreds of people gather every day to seek the blessings of the tree since it is located inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve, an official had told media outlets. It is still unclear whether a crackdown by local law enforcement will deter people from placing their faith in the 'healing trees' of Madhya Pradesh's Hoshangabad district.