An elderly Indian man died after a group of monkeys threw bricks at him from a tree. Dharampal Singh was collecting pieces of dry wood when the animals attacked him in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. The 72-year-old died in hospital after sustaining head and chest injuries, the Times of India reports.'Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday,' his brother Krishnapal told the newspaper.' 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 have lodged a formal complaint about the incident to the police. But authorities say not much can be done about the aggressive monkeys that make life hell for those who live in the area.' How can we register the case against monkeys?' Chitwan Singh, the station officer at Dog hat police station, told the Times. 'This will make us a laughing stock.'
It is thought the monkeys who attacked Mr Singh had collected bricks from a rundown building nearby though revered in the majority Hindu country, monkeys are a menace in many cities, trashing gardens and rooftops and often viciously attacking people for food. Activists say the invasion of the animal's natural habitats by urban populations has caused the problem.