A python weighing roughly 100 kilograms, about one quintal, was spotted in the reeds near fields in Jalalpur Chhoiya village in Bijnor district on Sunday evening. The sight stopped farmers in their tracks.

Some farmers working in their fields noticed a large snake lying among the sarkanda reeds near the field. When they moved closer, they realised it was no ordinary snake. It was a giant python, and its size alone was enough to unsettle the men who had come out to work the land.

Word spread fast. Within minutes, villagers began gathering to get a look at the animal, and a crowd started to form around the field.

Forest Team Rushed to the Spot

The farmers phoned the forest department, which sent a team to the location under the direction of Range Forest Officer Maheshchandra Gautam. His team reached the field and tried to secure the python.

Catching it proved far harder than anyone expected. Officials said the animal’s size and weight made it difficult to control. Three people tried together to restrain it, but the python did not stay in their hands.

In the struggle, the snake freed itself. It moved quickly across the ground and made its way into the nearby Chhoiya river. Within moments, it disappeared beneath the water.

A Heavy Animal by Any Measure

Forest officials estimated the python weighed around one quintal, or 100 kilograms. Gautam described it as one of the healthiest pythons seen in the district so far.

One of the healthiest pythons ever seen in the district, weighing about one quintal.

That assessment is what made the sighting so memorable for the villagers. Many of them had never seen a snake of this size up close, and the story quickly became the main talking point in the area.

Rock Pythons Have Been Showing Up for Years

The python was not the first of its kind to appear in the district. Villagers told officials that for the past two years, large Rock Python specimens have been seen in fields across different parts of Bijnor.

Sightings of large snakes in rural areas are not new. Farmland, reed beds and the banks of rivers offer cover and hunting ground for these animals, which is why they are often spotted close to villages.

For residents, that history raises a difficult question. If giant pythons are already moving through farmland, how common are these encounters likely to become, and how should people react when they come face to face with one?

What Forest Officials Are Telling Residents

Forest officials stressed that pythons generally do not attack humans. They live in forests, bushes and areas near water, where they hunt, and they can also be found around farmland.

The advice from the department is simple. People should keep their distance from large snakes. They should not try to catch or provoke them. Instead, they should report the sighting to the forest department immediately so that trained staff can handle the situation.

That message matters because the python in Jalalpur Chhoiya was not easy to subdue even for a trained team. Untrained people who try to grab a snake of this size face a real risk of injury, and the animal itself can be stressed or harmed in the process.

A Sighting Farmers Will Not Forget

By the time the forest team’s efforts ended, the python had gone into the river and was out of sight. The creature is no longer visible in the village, but for the farmers who saw it on Sunday evening, the moment is unlikely to fade quickly.

The episode shows how quickly an ordinary evening in the fields can turn into a village-wide event. A single animal, a crowd of curious villagers and a forest team struggling to hold on to a creature that weighed as much as a grown adult made for a scene few people in Bijnor are likely to forget.

For now, the Chhoiya river has the python. Forest officials and villagers will be watching the fields closely in the coming days, and residents have been reminded that if they see a snake this large again, the safest move is to step back and make a call.