Apartment dwellers condole dead monkeys

 After 10 days, local residents around Raheja Residency, in Koramangala on Tuesday held a condolence meet and death ceremony for two Bonnet macaques (monkeys) which were shot dead by a resident of the apartment on January 18, 2014.

Two monkeys, a male and a female, were shot dead by Roopesh Kumar using his air gun after a bunch of monkeys were found playing around his balcony causing a ruckus.  According to Yogesh, an eye witness, a monkey was found with pellet injuries after it fell from the second floor and suffering with pain. 

Another, a female, was also found suffering from injuries.  However, post-mortem report conducted at Bannerghatta Hospital says the simians did not die due to pellet shots but internal injuries caused after they fell from a height. However, a video footage taken immediately after the incident show the monkey suffering due to pellet injury.

Following the incident, KR Puram Range Forest Officer Veeranna investigated and booked Roopesh Kumar under various sections of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Ever since the incident, Roopesh Kumar fled his residence.  Veeranna said they are investigating and on the lookout for Roopesh.

Roopesh contacted Deccan Herald to say he was too scared to see five monkeys in his room and took the drastic step to shoo them.  “The monkeys had created quite a ruckus in the area damaging my laptop, table, Nike shoes worth Rs 10,000 and even taken away my watch. 

Sometime back they had scared my mother who fractured her hip.  I had no intention of harming them. Rhe air-gun was used to chase them, but unfortunately, it hit them,”he added.  Following forest department filing a case against Roopesh in the sessions court, Roopesh too has hired an advocate in his defense. The matter is expected to heard in the first week of February.