Man, 72, 'stoned to death by monkeys' in India

A man in India has died after a group of monkeys threw bricks at him from a tree.

Dharampal Singh, 72, had been collecting pieces of dry wood before the incident in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

Police said monkeys rained bricks on the man from a treetop after collecting them from a nearby dilapidated building, the Times of India reported.

The elderly man later died in hospital from sustained head and chest injuries.

Villagers have repeatedly complained about aggressive monkeys in the area, but the animals are a protected species.

Mr Singh's family are said to have put in a formal complaint about the incident to 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 Mr Singh.

In March, it was reported that a monkey had entered a house in the village of Talabasta, Orissa, and kidnapped a baby. The baby was later found dead in a well.

Back in 2007, the deputy mayor of India's capital of Delhi, SS Bajwa, died after being attacked by a horde of wild monkeys and falling from a first floor balcony.