Now 'Bearman' Hysteria Sweeps Northeast India[Original headline: Monkey-man morphs into ‘werewolf’ in Assam villages]
After Delhi, it is now the turn of Nalbari district in Lower Assam where a strange wolf-like creature is reportedly out to create panic. Going by reports pouring in to the state capital, over a dozen people have been already attacked by the mysterious wolf-like creature, compelling people to organise all-night watch groups to protect themselves.
The creature has been reportedly sighted in villages in the Nathkuchi and Tihu area in the backward district about 90 kms west of Guwahati, with people complaining that it can enter houses even if doors are closed. ‘‘People say it roams about, often becoming invisible before attacking them,’’ said Prafulla Kalita, a government employee in Nalbari town, who hails from a village in the Tihu-Nathkuchi area. Kalita, however, has not seen the creature herself.
One Assamese daily quoted villagers as saying that the creature has a furry body, looks like a bear and disappears when rays of light are directed toward it. The villagers are spending sleepless nights and the situation has become even worse with erratic power supply, especially after sunset. When contacted, Nalbari Deputy Commissioner B. Kalyan Chakravarty dismissed the reports as nothing but ‘‘figments of people’s imagination’’ resulting in mass hysteria.
Chakravarty also attributed this to the widely-published reports of the mysterious ‘‘monkey-man’’ in New Delhi as another reason behind the panic in the Nalbari villages. ‘‘We sent out teams of officers, including the police, to these villages, and after careful examination found that it is just some kind of panic created following reports of the monkey-man in Delhi. Such stories always create sensation among the villagers, who easily give in to superstitions and ghost stories,’’ he asserted.
Panic-stricken villagers have even approached the Army engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the sensitive district. ‘‘We sent out men to verify the incidents, but till date not one person has been able to substantiate his claim that he had seen a mysterious creature,’’ said Col Sanjeev Sinha, CO of the 5 J-K Light Infantry posted at Nalbari.
Interestingly, the Assam Science Society, an apex body of scientists and science propagators in the state, has come out with a detailed report which dismisses the existence or appearance of any mysterious creature in the district.
The report prepared by a five-member team headed by Dr Karuna Kanta Patgiri, president of the Bajali branch of the Society, said all the 16 persons it interviewed had reported that they were in sleep when the ‘‘attacks’’ occurred. ‘‘The people said they first heard a noise on the tin roof of their houses, following which they felt that something was trying to clutch them with sharp nails. But every person admitted they were half-asleep when they experienced this,’’ the report said.
• Story originally published by •
The Indian Express - May 26 2001
[Original headline: Monkeyman finds a rival]
Nalbari, India - With New Delhi still cowering in terror at reports of a marauding "monkeyman", a new menace has struck terror among villagers in India's remote northeast - the "bearman".
At least 20 people have been clawed by the furry "bear-like" creature, which has staged night-time attacks even inside people's homes in far-flung villages of Assam state, witnesses and police said.
"We have been taking the reports very seriously and have asked the district administration and police to be on alert to avoid panic and confusion," Assam's Health Minister Bhumidhar Barman told AFP on Saturday.
"I personally don't believe these, but at the same time I cannot ignore the reports of the locals who have said a bear-like animal was on the prowl and injuring villagers," he added.
Barman visited the state's Nalbari district on Friday to make a first-hand assessment along with top police and civil officials.
"We first heard a loud bang at night. Then we saw something black and furry resembling a bear, and before the beast could attack, we switched on the lights and the creature disappeared," Ramani Nath, a school teacher in Tihu village, said.
"I have seen many people with injury marks on their body, some with minor scratches and others with cut marks on their legs and hands," she added.
Panic-stricken villagers have formed vigilante groups, armed with bows and arrows and machetes, to capture the "bearman", who reportedly has metallic claws similar to those of the monkeyman.
The monkeyman triggered panic in the Indian capital, with four people reportedly being killed in frantic attempts to escape a creature many dismissed as the creation of rumour mixed with mass hysteria.
Reports of the supposed man-monkey hybrid have subsided in New Delhi, and it was last reportedly sighted in the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan.
Nalbari district magistrate B. Kalyan Chakravorty told AFP authorities were taking precautions against a similar panic due to the bearman.
"We have sent police patrols to instill confidence among the villagers although I think it is nothing but hallucination.
"There are some reports of people being scratched but there are no tell-tale signs of sighting the animal as such."
Local police say they have been inundated with complaints and phone calls by villagers.
"We have been receiving reports of the bearman moving around at night in villages like Nathkuchi, Doloigaon, and Pahla," Nandaram Kalita, in charge of Nalbari's Tihu police station said.
Villagers, especially women and children, are haunted by fear.
"We are passing sleepless nights as we understand the bearman enters the house even when all doors are bolted from inside," Malabika Das, a housewife in Nalbari said.
• Story originally published by •
Sapa-AFP - May 26 2001
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