Angry Indian Villager Lets Loose Venomous Snakes in Govt Office for Delaying His Request

Corrupt government officials in India might think twice before harassing the poor villagers, who approach them with some requests, the next time.

On Tuesday, an angry snake charmer freed more than a dozen venomous snakes at a government office in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to teach them a lesson for the trouble the officials had caused him.

The surprising act of the aggrieved villager sparked panic among the land revenue officials who had allegedly harassed and delayed his plea for a land sanction.

Hakkul of Lara village released more than 40 poisonous snakes of different sizes and species, including a deadly cobra in the office after repeatedly trying hard to get a plot of land where he could conserve his snakes.

Some officials ran away from the scene while others tried to shoo away the deadly serpents. Snakes were climbing up the tables and chairs. The office was full, there were nearly 100 officials and clerks and many more visitors, local journalist Mazhar Azad told the BBC.

There was total chaos for several hours. Some people started taking photos with their telephone cameras, others brought out sheets to try to cover the snakes. Some came with sticks and wanted to beat up Hakkul, Azad said.

In fact, Azad had prompted Hakkul to resort to this extreme step. Hakkul, with help of Azad, had petitioned various government offices. He had even sent a petition to the President of India. But his plea fell on deaf ears. Though the senior authorities have cleared his application, local officials kept delaying it.

Hakkul is usually called by the villagers whenever a snake is spotted and he has saved many lives over the years.

Nobody is believed to have been bitten by the snakes, however, Azad and Hakkul are absconding after the incident.

Check out the photos here.