Dipjyoti Sharma, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy, injured in a monkey attack at Kamakhya. Picture by Eastern Projections

Oct. 31: Three monkeys were tranquillised at Nilachal Hills today in a special operation by the forest department.

Forest department officials have pulled out all stops to try and end the monkey menace at the Kamakhya Temple zone.

A special search operation was carried out to track down a particularly mischievous simian that has injured more than 150 residents at Nilachal Hills in the past few days.

Assam State Zoo divisional forest officer Narayan Mahanta said it is a tough job to pinpoint the culprit from among the 1,000-odd monkeys.

?The three tranquillised monkeys have been brought to the zoo here for observation. If the culprit is not here, we shall intensify the search operation in the coming days and try various ways to trap the monkey,? he said.

Mahanta attributes the wild and violent behaviour of this particular monkey to a change in habitat.

?The monkey was initially domesticated and was originally staying with a resident on Nilachal Hills. It was abandoned nearly a month ago but has found it difficult to come to terms with the changed situation,? he said.

According to Rajib Sarmah, who is closely associated with Kamakhya Temple, the ?violent monkey? has a specific behavioural pattern. It first bites its own hand and then attacks humans, mostly children, at any time of the day or night.

Things have come to such a pass that several residents have panicked and fled their homes.

The monkey usually chooses a sleeping victim, squeezing and pulling the cheek of the person till he or she wakes up, after which the monkey starts biting.

Three schoolchildren were severely injured after being bitten. They are being administered anti-rabies vaccines.

Mahanta said the monkey population at Kamakhya Temple areas is rising rapidly.

?However, some residents are also responsible for encouraging the monkey menace. They give food and other tit-bits to the monkeys whenever they jump into their houses, corridors or courtyards,? he said.

Wildlife experts, however, attribute the monkey menace in Nilachal Hills to the pressure of human population.

The monkeys, who are fast losing their habitats on the hill, regularly come into conflict with residents.

The DFO said the forest department is also trying to curb the monkey menace at the girls? hostel of Gauhati University and the Holy Child School campus.

Though there is no recent reports of attacks at the GU hostel, boarders say monkeys often pilfer clothes, toothpaste, biscuits and other items from their rooms.

There have been instances when monkeys have sneaked into the quarters of university teachers and employees.

Bizarre as it may sound, an FIR seeking protection from monkeys was lodged at Jalukbari police station two years ago by the university.