Deaths of 2 MLAs make Rajasthan lawmakers wary of 'haunted' House

The deaths of two sitting MLAs within six months have made legislators wary as they fear that the Assembly building may have come under the influence of so-called evil spirits. A ruling BJP MLA even suggested that the chief minister perform a "yajna" to rid the House of the influence of "ghosts". Government Chief Whip Kalulal Gurjar admitted that certain members of the House were uneasy ever since the deaths of the two MLAs and that he himself feared there might be a "ghost" troubling the place. "It is said that the Assembly was built on a land which was a cremation ground earlier and there may be spirits roaming around," he told reporters today. BJP MLA from Nagaur, Habibur Rahman, said he had suggested to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje that rituals be conducted in the Assembly building to free it from the influence of "bad spirits". He also said the land where the Assembly building stood used to be a cremation ground and hence, it was very likely that "ghosts" might be around. Nathdwara MLA Kalyan Singh Chauhan died yesterday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Udaipur, while Kirti Kumari (who represented the Mandalgarh constituency) died due to swine flu in August last year. Both were members of the ruling party. Spread across a sprawling campus measuring 16.96 acres in Jyoti Nagar, the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is one of the modern legislature buildings in the country. The Lal Kothi cremation ground is located adjacent to the Assembly.