Angry farmers dump deadly cobras on tax office floor

By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY

Two farmers, including a snake charmer, were so angry at tax officials in northern India that they dumped dozens of snakes, including four deadly cobras, on the floor of the tax office, The Guardian reports.

The snake charmer says the farmers on Tuesday were protesting alleged demands for bribes by officials in exchange for tax records in Basti, 185 miles southeast of Lucknow, the British newspaper says.

"Snakes started climbing up the tables and chairs," said a local official, Ramsukh Sharma, according to the newspaper. "There was total chaos. Hundreds of people gathered outside the room, some of them with sticks in their hands, shouting that the snakes should be killed."

A video shows office workers jumping on chairs as the 40 snakes slithered around the floor. There were no injuries, but forestry department personnel had to be called in to catch the reptiles, The Guardian says.

 

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