Interesting News

Seeing and Believing

By AMY WALDMAN
 

NEW DELHI

They call it muchnowa — the "face scratcher." In the eastern part of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a mysterious flying object has supposedly attacked more than 100 sleeping villagers. They see a flashing light, feel an electric shock and a hard object, and emerge with scratched faces and limbs.

At least seven unexplained deaths have been attributed to the muchnowa, and the result has been mass hysteria — a panic that has yielded more deaths. The police killed one man when a mob stormed the station demanding protection. Another man killed his mother — ostensibly accidentally — while shooting at the mysterious light.

Theories about the cause abound, and the news media has reported each new one with delight. It may be an extraterrestrial being, or simply disoriented migratory birds or bats. Some blame genetically engineered insects from Pakistan; others, laser-equipped terrorists.