'Monkey man' terrorises Indian village
July 24, 2002
A CHILD was killed in a stampede by panic-stricken residents of an eastern Indian village trying to escape an elusive monkey-like creature which has been terrorising them for days, media reports said.
The six-year-old boy was fatally injured on Monday when he fell off a roof during the panic, sparked by reports that the "monkey man" was near, the reports said.
A woman fractured her arm in the stampede, which occurred in Lahlan village, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Bihar state's capital Patna.
Police could not confirm the incident but said they had received numerous reports from various parts of the state of a mysterious "ape-like creature" attacking people, a year after a similar scare gripped New Delhi.
Some alleged the Bihar creature "jumps and sparkles with red and blue lights," while others described it as resembling a machine, operated by remote control and "handled by anti-social elements to terrorise people."
Residents of Khupri village, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Patna, late Monday reported sighting the "monkey-man" in the form of "a shining object" falling from the sky, a police spokesman said.
However, when police reached the spot, they discovered the object was a piece of equipment launched by the meteorological office.
"The villagers took it to be the monkey-man as it sparkled while coming to ground," the spokesman said.
Meteorologists were the only ones to volunteer an explanation for the monkey-man hysteria gripping the people.
A scientist who wished to remain unidentified said people in rural areas, who preferred to sleep outdoors because of the extreme heat and humidity, "failed to understand the cosmic light patterns and their fancy takes wild flights."
"Meteorites falling through various layers of atmosphere through a clear sky take various shapes and forms, igniting the wild imaginations of ignorant people," he said.
The local police have issued a stern warning to people not to spread rumours about the "monkey-man."
"We will take strict action against anyone trying to spread rumours and causing panic among the people," the police spokesman said.
The "monkey-man" scare in Bihar comes almost a year after residents in some parts of the Indian capital New Delhi reported a similar creature attacking them.
The creature was variously described as "black" and "ape-like" with "sharp claws" and red eyes.
At least two people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a crush when hysterical people tried to escape into their homes after hearing the monkey man was near.
A number of others were treated for scratch and bite wounds in hospital, but a special police enquiry dismissed the scare as a figment of the imagination and a product of mass hysteria.
Agence France-Presse
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,4766166%5E13762,00.html[Source.[/URL]
Is this story true or in one of those weekley news magazines that always has "Bat Boy" on the cover?????