Monkey menace in Vrindavan has been a cause of concern for locals and tourists for a long time, but this time it was Mathura district magistrate who was caught off-guard by the animals after they snatched his spectacles while he was on the phone.
The incident took place in the lanes leading to the Sri Banke Behari Mandir in the temple town. Mathura district magistrate Navneet Chahal was talking on the phone when a monkey snatched his glasses and climbed the wall.
The solution to the problem – two packets of mango juice – and the spectacles were back with its owner.
The video of the incident went viral, with former chief minister and leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav taking a dig on social media by saying, “Bandar ne socha jab BJP ke shashan mein, prashashan ko chashma laga kar bhi kuch nahi dikhta hai to chasme ka kya kaam” (the monkey took the glasses because he thought there was no use of glasses for the administration when it is unable see the ill deeds of the BJP regime).
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{{/usCountry}}Incidentally, this was not the first time that the Mathura DM faced such a situation as the monkeys harassed the IAS officer twice during his tenure at the twin religious cities of Mathura and Vrindavan.
Monkey menace remains an issue in Mathura and Vrindavan, and every time a VVIP visits, langoors are deployed to keep the monkeys away. Even shopkeepers and locals advise those moving towards the temple to remove their glasses.
The forest department even came up with detailed initiatives to tackle the problem, including relocating monkeys to a safari.
Interestingly, chief minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to Vrindavan once advised authorities to recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ to keep away monkeys.
“The monkey menace is such that residents of Vrindavan are forced to put up iron nets at their houses to safeguard themselves from the aggressive animals. People have died because of monkey attacks, but there seems to be no solution in place,” said Dr Laxmi Gautam, convenor of the ‘Kanakdhara Foundation’, an NGO in Vrindavan.