Daring marauders of Braj, not mere monkeys

AGRA: It is mid morning in the pilgrim town of Vrindavan in Mathura district.

AGRA: It is mid morning in the pilgrim town of Vrindavan in Mathura district.

A pilgrim wearing glasses heads for the Bankey Bihari temple. Almost out of nowhere, a monkey jumps on the unsuspecting worshipper from behind, sits on his shoulders, snatches his spectacles and is then gone, in a flash.

While this instance may pass off as a harmless one, there have been many other cases where people have died after being attacked by monkeys here and elsewhere.

Little wonder when VVIPs come calling, langurs (leaf monkeys) and police personnel armed with slingshots are stationed at vital locations during high-profile visits to the Bankey Behari temple in Vrindavan.

During President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan on November 28, 2019, the authorities were on their toes to keeps monkeys at bay as the simians move along buildings in a lane adjoining the temple.

A cloth covered the lane leading to the temple in Vrindavan so that there was no eye contact between the VVIP and the monkeys notorious for snatching glasses.

“These monkeys are experts targeting at those wearing spectacles. Once a monkey has snatched the spectacles, it has to be lured with edibles, like mangoes, to let it go,” says a shopkeeper in the lane leading to the temple.

“Most often, monkey drops the spectacle when it catches edibles thrown at it. To avoid such hassles, we have got a message written on walls saying that visitors should keep their glasses concealed,” he says.

The Mathura Police had made special arrangements and posted cops on roof top when former President Pranab Mukherjee visited Vrindavan to offer prayers at Bankey Bihari Temple in November 2014.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had gone to the extent of proposing slingshots for its personnel on duty at Taj Mahal.

But an NGO, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, termed it a crime against simians and lodged a complaint with the ministry of environment. Activists of the bureau termed CISF’s plan as “cruelty to animals” and sought an FIR against CISF officials for the violation of Wildlife Act.

The bureau said the move was a violation of Section 3 and 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Section 2 and 39 of Wildlife Protection Act for crime against wild animals.

Left with little choice, CISF had to withdraw the proposal.

The monkeys are such a menace in the Braj region of western Uttar Pradesh that the issue has resonated in Parliament compelling the authorities to come up with a plan to relocate the simians.

The menace plagues almost the entire Braj region, including Agra, Firozabad, Kasganj.

However, it is most pronounced in Mathura-Vrindavan.

During wildlife counting for 2019, 21,707 monkeys were traced in Vrindavan, Goverdhan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Gokul in Mathura district.

However, according to a rough estimate, there are about 60,000 monkeys in the Vrindavan town of Mathura district alone and their number keeps rising.

Forest officials admit the monkeys are often found troubling devotees and visitors by snatching edibles from them.

The situation is similar at the Taj Mahal and other monuments in Agra, where tourists have often sustained injuries in monkey attacks. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are yet to come up with a long-term solution to the problem though they have been writing letters to civic bodies to get these monkeys trapped.

The situation has become so worrisome that lawyers at the Agra collectorate went on a two-day strike demanding to be rid of the simians.

Lokendra Sharma, general secretary of the Collectorate Bar Association in Agra, said many lawyers were bitten by monkeys, which became more aggressive in the monsoon. Litigants, stamp vendors and typists sitting in the open were not spared, Sharma said.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Mathura Hema Malini raised the issue of monkey menace in Mathura and Vrindavan in Parliament on November 21, calling for early and effective measures to tackle the ‘alarming’ situation.

She suggested that the forest department should set up a Monkey Safari and shift the simians there, according to inputs provided by the MP’s media representative here.

Two women died in a monkey attack in Mathura in March this year. In December 2018, another woman died in a similar attack in Mathura. A 40-year-old labourer in Shikohabad town of Firozabad died after monkeys attacked him in November 2018. Several deaths were also reported in Agra.

“Vrindavan used to be a land with high density of forests but now it is a concrete jungle. The devotees visiting the temple town feed monkeys with edibles, including Mathura peda , soft drinks and kachori, which makes them ill. The experiment to sterilise these monkeys made them more violent and many lost their lives in monkey attacks,” the BJP MP said.

Recently, district magistrate of Mathura Sarvagya Ram Mishra allocated 25 acres land in Chaumuhan area on the outskirts of the temple town, where monkeys from urban areas would be relocated.

“Land measuring 25 acres will be allocated in Chaumuhan area of Mathura district. This is aimed at providing relief to people from monkey menace. The land has been recorded in the name of forest department,” stated Mishra.

Besides monkey rescue centres would also be set up in the district for the treatment of simians, he said.

“First, we have to catch these monkeys and those found ill will be treated at the rescue centres,” he added.

Social activist Dr Laxmi Gautam, who is the founder of Kanakdhara Foundation, said, “Deaths (caused by monkey attacks) have failed to wake up forest department and local bodies who lack the commitment to catch these monkeys, the numbers of which are rising everywhere.”

In his complaint in July 2016, social activist Ravi Yadav had informed the National Human Rights Commission that in 2014-15 alone, monkeys bit 1,202 people in Vrindavan town. Citing information obtained after filing an RTI application, he said monkeys had killed three people in a year.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF SIMIANS

In February 2019, mysterious deaths of monkeys became a cause for concern in Govind Bagh area of Vrindavan.

Within five days, 11 monkeys died in Govind Bagh. A complaint was lodged at Kotwali police station of Vrindavan and forest officials were also informed. Simian deaths were attributed to many reasons, including heat wave, lack of water and food. Animal rights activists sought a permanent solution and suggested that simians be released into the ‘monkey sanctuaries’ that could be set up in select areas of the Braj region.

INCREASING SIMIAN ATTACKS IN BRAJ REGION

August 2019: A woman fell off a roof after monkeys attacked her in the Raal village of Mathura district. Kusum Devi, 30, fell off the roof and was taken to hospital where she was declared dead.

July 2019: Hari Shankar Goyal, 55, died in a monkey attack in the Phullati area of old Agra.

January 2019: A woman died after monkeys targeted her at Raipura Jaat in Mathura district on Thursday.

December 2018: A woman died after simians attacked her in the Dalpat Khirki area of Mathura.

December 2018: A 16-year-old student of class 11 died in Kasganj city when he fell on the road while jumping off the roof to save himself as monkeys chased him.

November 2018: A monkey snatched a newborn from the mother’s lap and killed the child in Runkata area of Agra.

November 2018: A 59-year-old woman died when monkeys attached her in Kagarol town of Agra district.

November 2018: A 40-year-old labourer died after falling off the roof of his house as he fled from monkeys in Shikohabad town oFirozabad district.

November 2018: A monkey attacked an Italian tourist in Agra when she was moving towards the western gate of Taj Mahal after depositing her valuables in a locker.

November 2018: A six-year-old boy was injured and had to be given stitches on the head after monkeys attacked him in Pinahat town of Agra district.

October 2018: A biker died after losing his balance on MG Road due to a monkey attack in Agra.

August 2018: A monkey attacked a a Japanese woman tourist on the road to Purani Mandi crossing near Taj Mahal.

May 2018: A monkey attacked a French woman on the Taj Mahal premises.

May 2018: A monkey snatched a bag containing Rs 2 lakh (200,000) cash near a bank in Nai Ki Mandi area of Agra.

May 2018: A monkey snatched a snake from a snake charmer near Bankey Behari temple in Vrindavan.

August 2017: A man died after falling off the roof in Rawli area of Agra after being pushed by a monkey.

August 2018: A pinnacle embedded in an iron rod fell from top of the historic ‘Buland Darwaza’ at Fatehpur Sikri, once the capital of the Mughal empire. ASI officials blamed monkeys for the damage

March 2018: A monkey sitting on the roof of the main entrance of the Bankey Behari temple pushed a brick which fell on a woman devotee.

August 2017: A 45-year-old man died while chasing a monkey which had snatched his cell phone in Rawli area of Agra on Wednesday. The man fell from third floor of the building in an attempt to get the phone back.

August 2017: An 80-year-old woman died after falling from her terrace while being chased by monkeys in Gopi Bagh Mohalla in Vrindavan town

August 2016: A monkey snatched a purse from a British tourist at Taj Mahal