A man has been ‘stoned to death’ by a group of “rogue” monkeys who threw bricks at him from a tree, according to reports.
Dharampal Singh, 72, suffered head and chest injuries in the attack and was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Mr Singh was collecting pieces of dry wood when the group of monkeys launched their attack on Thursday.
It is believed the monkeys had armed themselves with bricks they had collected earlier from a run down building nearby in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh.
Villagers have repeatedly complained that aggressive monkeys in the area have made their lives hell, but the animals are a protected species so little can be done.
Mr Singh’s brother Krishnapal told The Times of India : “Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday.
“Thrown from quite a height, the bricks were enough to kill him.
“These rogue monkeys are the real culprits and must pay for it.”
Mr Singh’s family has lodged a formal complaint and named monkeys as the accused but police insisted they cannot prosecute monkeys and have declared Mr Singh’s death was an accident.