President Droupadi Murmu’s upcoming Vrindavan visit has triggered one of India’s most unusual security operations. Furthermore, authorities in Uttar Pradesh are racing to outsmart the town’s notorious monkey population urgently. Additionally, officials plan to deploy langur statues, laser lights, slingshots, and trained forest personnel simultaneously. Moreover, Murmu arrives in Mathura on March 19 for a three-day religious and official visit. Consequently, ensuring a monkey-free presidential experience has become a genuine administrative priority. Therefore, UP officials are leaving absolutely nothing to chance ahead of this high-profile visit.
30 Forest Personnel Deployed Across Monkey Hotspots
UP authorities plan to station approximately 30 forest department personnel across vulnerable areas. Furthermore, officials will assign up to eight staff members in zones with particularly heavy monkey presence. Additionally, areas with relatively lighter monkey activity will receive three personnel each. Moreover, every team member will carry slingshots and sticks as standard equipment throughout the visit. Furthermore, teams will also carry red and green laser lights to frighten away approaching monkeys quickly. Consequently, the entire deployment covers both Vrindavan and Govardhan, the two main locations on Murmu’s itinerary. Therefore, officials have created a comprehensive human barrier against potential monkey disruptions.
Langur Statues Replace Live Animals After Wildlife Ban
Authorities developed a creative solution after wildlife regulations complicated their standard VIP security approach. Furthermore, trained handlers previously deployed live langurs during important VIP visits to deter smaller monkeys. Additionally, wildlife regulations now completely prohibit the use of live langurs for such purposes. Consequently, officials decided to install langur statues at key locations across the presidential route instead. Moreover, the strategy relies on monkeys’ natural tendency to avoid langurs, even artificial ones. Therefore, what began as a regulatory constraint produced an innovative and cost-effective crowd-control solution. Furthermore, authorities consider the statues a practical workaround that respects both wildlife laws and security requirements.
Vrindavan Monkeys Have a Long History of Spectacle Theft
Vrindavan’s monkeys have terrorised residents and visitors with spectacular efficiency for decades. Furthermore, these animals have developed a remarkably effective strategy targeting eyeglasses specifically. Additionally, they snatch spectacles within seconds and refuse to return them without receiving food in exchange. Moreover, monkeys typically demand packaged fruit beverages before releasing their stolen items to distressed owners. Consequently, even senior government officials have fallen victim to this organised simian extortion previously. Furthermore, in August 2022, then Mathura District Magistrate Navneet Chahal personally experienced this humiliation. Additionally, a monkey snatched his spectacles and held them for nearly an hour before accepting a drink in exchange. Therefore, officials take the threat to President Murmu’s eyewear extremely seriously and personally.
UP authorities have managed monkey-related VIP security challenges successfully in the past. Furthermore, during former President Ram Nath Kovind’s Vrindavan visit in June 2022, officials deployed live langurs directly. Additionally, forest personnel carrying slingshots accompanied those langurs throughout Kovind’s entire itinerary. Moreover, that visit passed without any significant monkey-related incidents or disruptions. Consequently, officials now adapt those proven strategies to comply with current wildlife protection regulations. Therefore, the 2026 operation builds directly on lessons learned during previous presidential security deployments.
President Murmu’s Full Itinerary Includes Temples and Hospital Inauguration
President Murmu’s three-day Mathura visit carries both religious and official significance. Furthermore, she will visit multiple prominent temples and religious sites across Vrindavan during her stay. Additionally, Murmu will inaugurate a new cancer block at the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram Charitable Hospital. Moreover, on March 21, she will perform the traditional Govardhan hill parikrama, a 21-kilometre religious circuit. Consequently, the visit covers a wide geographical area requiring comprehensive monkey management throughout. Therefore, officials will maintain full alert status and additional deployment wherever monkey activity runs particularly high. Ultimately, UP authorities have demonstrated that protecting India’s President sometimes requires outsmarting animals as cleverly as any human security threat, and Vrindavan’s monkeys have ensured that nobody takes that challenge lightly.
