Patna : Four people have died and over 100 have been injured in recent months as the city of Patna grapples with an alarming surge in monkey attacks, leaving residents, particularly women and children, living in fear.
Across a dozen localities in the Patna City area, people have barricaded themselves inside their homes, reinforcing roofs and balconies with iron nets to guard against the marauding monkeys. For many, even the simple act of venturing to the market for fruits and vegetables has become perilous, as monkeys often snatch food and other items in the blink of an eye.
Devotees at Gurudwaras not spared
Visitors to Patna Sahib’s revered Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib and other gurudwaras have also fallen prey to the monkeys. In one incident at Machharhatta Mandi, a monkey grabbed a bundle of currency notes from a trader. Pilgrims arriving from across India and abroad frequently find themselves targeted, adding to concerns about the safety of tourists.
Women and children afraid to go to rooftops
Fear has pushed many residents, especially women and children, to abandon their rooftops. In Harimandir Gali, a woman fell to her death 15 years ago after being startled by a monkey while hanging clothes. Similar tragedies have occurred over the years. In 2015, a priest in Mirchai Gali died after a monkey dropped a brick from a rooftop. Another incident in Rambagh saw a worker fatally injured in similar circumstances.
Several others have sustained fractures or serious injuries after falling while trying to escape. The situation is so dire that rooftops in many neighbourhoods around City Chowk are now enclosed in iron mesh, while residents in larger buildings are left vulnerable as monkeys invade balconies and common areas, destroying property and causing distress.
Monkey population surges despite past efforts
The crisis is not new. In the lead-up to the 350th Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh in 2017, a campaign by the forest department and local administration succeeded in capturing many monkeys. However, their numbers have since quintupled, undoing those efforts. Today, the City and Azimabad zones of the Patna Municipal Corporation, particularly the stretch between Ashok Rajpath and the banks of the Ganges, are overrun by monkeys, making daily life difficult for locals and visitors alike.
Authorities promise action
Amid rising public concern, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Patna City has assured that a formal request will be made to the forest department to capture the monkeys and relocate them to the city’s biological park. However, until such measures take effect, the people of Patna remain on edge, trapped in a daily battle against a menace that shows no signs of abating.
