Choti Cutting or Monkey Man, India Has a History of Mass Hysteria

Here’s a list of some bizarre instances of mass hysteria, some of which still remain unexplained.

A ‘choti cutting’ victim shows her hair that was cut mysteriously on Wednesday night.

(Photo: Hansa Malhotra/The Quint)

Forty-five-year-old Kamlesh in Gurgaon’s Vishwa Mohalla recalls seeing a pitch black silhouette the night she became victim to the mysterious ‘choti cuttings’ in Delhi-NCR. Her brother who lives in Rewari, where similar cases had taken place, had told her about the instances of braid choppings a few days earlier.

What began as obscure cases of women’s braids being cut mysteriously in parts of Gurgaon, has become a full blown ‘epidemic’ that is being attributed to mass hysteria. Cases in far-flung parts of the city and around are now emerging, with women relaying bizarre descriptions of what happened.

Also Read: Is It a Man? A Cat? A Ghost? Braid Chopping Brews Bizarre Theories

While choti cutting seems to have taken the capital by storm, India has had a history of mass hysteria. Here's a list of some bizarre instances, some of which still remain unexplained.

1. Monkey Man or Kala Bandar

In 2001, the capital was struck by the horror of ‘Monkey Man’. People reported seeing a half man-half monkey like creature roaming the streets of New Delhi, attacking people. Some described ‘Monkey Man’ as wearing a helmet, others claimed he had metal claws.

While the so-called “attacks” didn’t kill anyone, a pregnant woman, who panicked and fell off the stairs, died. She was sleeping on her terrace in East Delhi when she heard her neighbours screaming, and ran out of fear of the ‘Monkey Man’.

2. The ‘Sweet Water’ of Mahim Creek

In 2006, Mumbai residents claimed that the water of the highly contaminated Mahim creek, had suddenly turned sweet. Hundreds flocked to Mahim beach to taste the water, many began attributing the ‘miracle’ to a Haji Maqdoom Baba, according to a Times of India report.

The sudden rush of people sent the authorities into a tizzy, who feared an outbreak of disease from people consuming the dirty creek water.

People take dips in the sweet-tasting water in Mumbai.(Photo: AP)

3. The ‘Muhnochwa’ Scare

In the summer of 2002, locals in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur were terrorised by an object they called ‘Muhnochwa’, or the face (muh) ripper (nochwa).

Locals described it as a flying object that emitted beams of red or green light, and sent shock waves through anyone who comes in contact. The victims sustained injury marks that were similar to nail marks, reports Times of India. While some described it as a hawk or doll-like object, others suspected it was a remote-controlled device being operated by anti-social elements as a prank.

The cover of a comic on the ‘Muhnochwa’ phenomenon by graphic artist Orijit Sen. (Photo Courtesy: Pao Collective)

4. The Onion Witch

A witch – or in some accounts, three witches – roamed Delhi’s streets, asking for onions. Whoever gives the witch(es) an onion is met with a gory end. Other than this, blood would spurt from the onion is what the legend has.

Delhi wasn’t alone. The witch scare gripped Chattisgarh too, a state notorious for witch-hunting. An Indian Express article from 2005 reported that people, including a Congress MLA, were writing ‘Om Namah Shivay’ with cow dung on their doorsteps to ward the witch off. The MLA later said that the verse had been painted on his wall without his approval.

5. Kerala’s Notorious ‘Black Man’

In early 2015, an unidentified ‘Black Man’ was said to be attacking women and children in Kerala. ‘Black Man’ reportedly wore a black mask and a black outfit. Some said he had a spring attached to his shoes to help him jump high. The news spread fast through social media, creating panic among people, and also giving way to a few instances of attacks being carried out by others in the name of ‘Black Man’.

In some cases, people began attacking each other because they mistook the other for the ‘Black Man’.

6. Tamil Nadu’s Blood-Sucking Vampire

In 2016, hysteria about a ‘vampire’ kept residence of a Tamil Nadu village confined to their homes. Villagers in Gundalapatti, Mottangurichi were mortified by their cattle dying mysteriously and believed a blood-sucking vampire, or Ratha Kaatteri, was on the prowl, reported Asian Age.

One could see painted signs on the village houses, asking the vampire to spare the villagers. Authorities, however, suspected that it was the work of bootleggers who wanted people to stay home at night in order to carry out nefarious activities.

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