Get rid of monkeys or no vote, Odisha village warns

A village in poll-bound Odisha has warned candidates to get rid of the monkeys or else they will not vote. The residents of Gopagadadharpur village, under Talapada gram panchayat of Bhadrak district, said a dozen people were injured, some seriously in simian attacks in the last two months.

The unsuspecting victims, who were going about with their day-to-day chores, were attacked by monkeys. Villagers told HT that a a group of monkeys have been attacking them. Chintamani Das, Zilla parishad member, said the villagers want a firm word on respite from the animals or else they will not vote. Das said the monkey, earlier, used to devour vegetables or fruits. “Over the last two months, they have become too violent. A middle-aged woman was walking home when a monkey grabbed her and pressed its teeth into her shoulders. She was in hospital for several weeks.”

Harischandra Mishra, a former member of Tihidi panchayat samiti, highlighted that it is impossible to walk on the road without a monkey chasing villagers. “We are lucky that schools are closed and hence children are safe. Otherwise, there is every danger of kids being attacked. We want a commitment from any candidate that the monkey menace will end and then we will vote in the panchayat polls.”

Adhir Behera, Bhadrak Divisional Forest Officer, said the department has put up cages in the gram panchayat to capture the monekys. He said several efforts had been made in the past in other districts to drive away the monkeys, but it proved futile.

Meanwhile, other villagers in Odisha have decided to boycott polls over other reasons that affect their lives. The residents of Jharagogua, Gandam, Parposhi, Dimirikuda and Jharmunda gram panchayat in Tileibani are protesting over the absence of mobile network. The villagers have placed a poster “No Network, No Vote” on a vehicle to canvas the poll-bound areas. The 27 villages have over 13,516 people and absence of mobile connectivity has deprived them from availing online education and healthcare services.

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And Bijipur village, in Kendrapara district, is boycotting the polls because of closure of village schools. The villagers have been protesting the last two years over the merger policy of the state government.