Snakecharmer protests by letting snakes go

HARAIYA, India, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- In a terrifying form of protest, a snakecharmer let about a dozen snakes loose inside a revenue office in Haraiya, India, officials said.

The snakecharmer, named Hakkul, was reportedly angry with the revenue office after staff members demanded he pay money for an allotment of land, the Press Trust of India reported.

The man claimed he used to catch snakes and conserve them. Hakkul said he wrote a letter to President Pratibha Patil requesting an additional allotment of land for his efforts. He was given extra land and the state government handed over the finalization of the process to local authorities, who Hakkul alleges demanded he pay for the land, PTI reported.

Hakkul then decided to dump the snakes, which ranged between two and three feet long, inside of the revenue office Tuesday afternoon.

Revenue department employees jumped on top of tables to avoid the snakes, which included as many as four cobras with raised hoods, the report said.

An official said no one was bitten or injured during the incident and that the snakecharmer's land complaints would be taken care of soon.