Bhagpat, October 20: An elderly man was stoned to death by monkeys when he had gone to collect dry woods for havan. The incident took place in Tikri village of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. While the police have registered the death stating it to be 'an accident', the family of the deceased wants an FIR against monkeys.

According to the police, monkeys who got bricks from a nearby dilapidated building threw them at 72-year-old Dharampal Singh when he went to collect dry woods. Singh was hit on head and chest, and succumbed to injuries in a hospital later. His family has complained, accusing monkeys of killing Singh. The family wants their complaint to be converted into an FIR.

“Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday. He was hit on the head, chest and legs. Thrown from quite a height, the bricks were enough to kill him. These rogue monkeys are the real culprits and must pay for it. We have given a written complaint against monkeys, but police don’t seem to be convinced enough to convert it into an FIR," Krishnapal Singh, the deceased’s brother, told TOI.

However, the police said they can not register a case against monkeys. “How can we register the case against monkeys? This will make us a laughingstock. I don’t think it is a legitimate demand," Chitwan Singh, station officer of Doghat police station, said. The police registered the death in its case diary and conducted a post-mortem.

Villagers say monkeys have been attacking locals in the village. “The attack on Dharampal could be the worst case, but monkeys have made life difficult for villagers here, and there doesn’t seem to be any solution in sight,” Bheema Kashyap, a resident, was quoted as saying. Rhesus macaque monkeys are targetting people, wildlife experts say.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2018 09:14 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).