On Republic Day, Keeping the Monkeys Away

New Delhi: Nearly 40 men will be on special duty during US President Barack Obama's visit to Delhi. They will be in charge of warding off monkeys in and around Lutyen's Delhi, and Rajpath on Republic Day.

The New Delhi Municipal Corporation or NDMC has deployed these men to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation during the highly anticipated Republic Day parade.

This is the fifth time Pramod, the supervisor of this operation, has been in charge of ensuring that monkeys don't disrupt the grand display of India's military might and multi-hued culture on January 26.

In earlier years, 'langurs', which are not on the best of terms with monkeys, were used to chase them away.  But the Environment Ministry has since banned the use of these animals.

So these men make glottal voice to impersonate 'langurs'.

"The NDMC has ordered us to patrol the area around Rajpath and make sure monkeys do not reach the parade location," Pramod told NDTV.