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Monkey-man of Delhi

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For other uses of the term, see Monkey Man (disambiguation).
Police artist's impression of the Monkey Man of New Delhi

The Monkey Man of New Delhi (Hindi: 'Kala Bandar') is a monster which was reported roaming Delhi in mid-2001. The entire incident has been described as an Indian example of mass hysteria.[1][2][3]

History

In May 2001, reports began to circulate in the Indian capital New Delhi of a strange monkey-like creature that was appearing at night and attacking people.[4] Eyewitness accounts were often inconsistent, but tended to describe the creature as about four feet (120 cm) tall,[5] covered in thick black hair, with a metal helmet, metal claws, glowing red eyes and three buttons on its chest; others, however, described the Monkey-man as having a more vulpine snout, and being up to eight feet tall, and muscular; it would leap from building to building.[citation needed]

Many people reported being scratched, and two[5] (by some reports, three) people even died when they leapt from the tops of buildings or fell down stairwells in a panic caused by what they thought was the attacker. At one point, exasperated police even issued artist's impression drawings in an attempt to catch the creature.

The appearance of Monkey man in Old Delhi is the centre-point of the 2009 Bollywood Hindi film Delhi-6 directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. In the film, the creature, called in Hindi as "Kala Bandar (Black Monkey)" is used as an allegory to represent the evil that resides inside every man alongside God (virtue). The monkey man has never actually been caught on tape.

In the 2011 graphic novel Munkeeman by Tere Bin Laden director Abhishek Sharma, the creature is interpreted as a misunderstood superhero, who is the result of a science experiment gone wrong. The first edition, Munkeeman Vol 1 chronicled the creatures brief appearance in Delhi, and the second edition will feature the creature in Kanpur, based on the incidents reported in February 2002.

See also

References

  1. ^ Polidoro, Massimo. (2002). "Return of Spring-Heeled Jack". Skeptical Inquirer. Accessed on 4 May 2016.
  2. ^ Carroll, Robert Todd. (2003). The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions. John Wiley & Sons. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-471-27242-7
  3. ^ Verma, S. K; Srivastava, D. K. (2003). A Study on Mass Hysteria (Monkey Men?) Victims In East Delhi Archived 27 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences 57: 355-360.
  4. ^ It's a man! It's a monkey! It's a...; by Onkar Singh in New Delhi; May 18, 2001; Rediff India. 'Monkey man' keeps Delhi awake again; May 18, 2001; Rediff India. . Also see [1], [2], [3]
  5. ^ a b "Desi fables - The Times of India". Indiatimes. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.

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