The village of Simauli here witnessed a startling sight in which over 100 live snakes crawled out of the courtyard of a farmer's house, sparking panic and fear among the locals.
But fear was soon replaced with grit as the villagers joined the farmer and his family in killing over 50 snakes and burying them in a pit on Sunday night.
Forest Department Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rajesh Kumar told PTI on Monday that a team was dispatched to the spot for investigation after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
However, the snakes turned out to be creatures protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
"It has come to light that snakes were killed and buried in the ground without informing the department. They are protected creatures and it is necessary to inform the Forest Department before taking any action," Kumar said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the snakes were non-poisonous, often found in water, and typically reside in locations such as drains.
"The departmental team is on the spot and is interrogating the villagers," the DFO said.
Mahfooz Saifi, the farmer, was preparing for bed when he spotted a snake in his courtyard. After killing it, he was alarmed to see more snakes emerging one after another.
Soon, news of the incident spread through the village and a large number of locals gathered at the spot.
As the snakes kept crawling out from under a ramp near the door of the farmer's house, the villagers stepped in to kill the snakes.
Meanwhile, the forest department is investigating how many snakes were killed and where they were buried.
They have also appealed to the public to immediately inform the forest department about any such incidents and to refrain from harming protected animals.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
