Read about Monkey Man here.
Posted on 08/20/2002 7:53:33 AM PDT by yankeedame
Scientists explain Indian 'monster'
August 21 2002
Claims that a face-scratching "monster" has been attacking humans at night in a north Indian state have sparked riots and even deaths, though scientists said there is a more rational explanation.
Residents of Uttar Pradesh state have reported being attacked by a strange and brightly-lit object that appears in the night and flies sideways, leaving its victims with scratch marks on their faces.
The first reports of attacks by the muhnochwa (literally, something that scratches the face) came from rural areas in Mirzapur district, but the real panic began when nearby townspeople began claiming similar attacks.
As news of the mysterious flying face-scratcher spread, people began demanding better protection from police, which in turn sparked violence.
Last Thursday, one person died in the town of Sitapur when police fired shots to disperse a 10,000-strong crowd demanding that authorities capture the attackers.
A second death occurred in the town of Barabanki in similar circumstances on Sunday. Two people were injured in the police fire.
Reports claim that some people have been killed by the muhnochwa but there is no evidence to back this up.
Other reports claimed that terrified villagers have killed people suspected of being a muhnochwa.
Villagers, especially in the Mirzapur district, have stopped sleeping outdoors despite the sweltering heat.
They have also formed protection squads, beating drums and shouting slogans such as, "Everyone alert. Attackers beware."
Descriptions of the attacker vary, with some saying it resembles a football and others claiming it is more like a tortoise.
However, everyone agrees it is brightly lit.
Police, who initially were sceptical, changed their tune when some of their colleagues claimed to have also been attacked.
Police officials have offered various theories.
"It is a three-and-a-half-inch-long winged insect" that leaves rashes and superficial wounds, said KP Singh, a superintendent of police.
He said police drew this conclusion after residents of one village found insects they had never seen before.
Other officials say it is an extra-terrestrial being, while one said it is a robot that glows red from the front and blue from its rear brought into Uttar Pradesh by foreign attackers.
The state government has asked the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the industrial town of Kanpur to unravel the mystery.
Scientists at the institute on Tuesday gave a more reasoned assessment, saying the phenomenon was being caused by balls of lightning which are being produced due to the extremely dry conditions existing in the drought-hit state.
"The phenomena of lightning balls are older than life on earth," one researcher, Ravindra Arora, told AFP.
"There is evidence of these balls over the ages," Dr Arora said. "Reports about these have been received from different parts of Europe and the United States. The highest frequency has been reported from New Zealand."
In all cases, people see a ball-like object in the night emitting different colours and travelling sideways, he said.
The ball can produce about 100 watts of electricity and, when it hits a person's body, especially the face, it can cause rashes and a burning sensation, he said.
The ball also ceases to exist suddenly as it dissipates quickly after hitting an object. The phenomenon should stop once long-delayed rains arrive in the state, he added.
Once the earth regains its natural characteristics, it becomes a good conductor of electricity, he said.
AFP
Read about Monkey Man here.
At least no one claims to have seen a Chupracabra or a glowing demon or a vampire. Or a weirwolf.
Please add to your list of fictional critters, "honest demoncRATs."
How do you know when a ball is travelling sideways, rather than forward?
;^)
Because of the turn signals? Helllllllllooooo?(/joke).
Yes, I am William Wallace and I conquer my enemys by shooting balls of fire from my a$$.
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