An elderly man in India has died after a troop of monkeys threw bricks at him from the top of a tree.
The monkeys hurled the bricks at Dharampal Singh, 72, whjile he was collecting pieces of dry wood in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.
Local police said the monkeys rained the bricks on Dharampal from the tree top after collecting them from a nearby dilapidated building.
He later died in hospital from sustained head and chest injuries.
Villagers have reportedly complained about aggressive monkeys in the area, but the animals are a protected species.
Dharampal’s family is said to have put in a formal complaint about the incident to the police.
The victim’s brother reportedly told the newspaper: “Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday.”
He was hit on the head, chest and legs. Thrown from a height, the bricks were enough to kill him.
The brother added: “These rogue monkeys are the real culprits and must pay for it.”
Chitwan Singh, the station officer at Doghat police station, said: “How can we register the case against monkeys? This will make us a laughing stock.”
Deadly monkey attacks have been on the rise in India, with wildlife experts saying that rhesus macaques are usually to blame.
It is unclear which breed attacked Dharampal.
