Neighbours said Bajwa was reading newspaper on the terrace of his Savita Vihar residence in east Delhi on Saturday morning when a group of three to four monkeys closed in on him. “The monkeys came all of a sudden. Bajwaji tried to shoo them away and in the process fell off the terrace,” said Anand Suri, his neighbour who rushed him to Apollo Hospital.

Bajwa, who was admitted with multiple injuries and internal bleeding, passed away on Sunday morning.

“You can always see several monkeys at the neighbouring Sai Baba temple where devotees offer them food. Often, they attack our houses and cause much trouble,” said H S Kohli, another neighbour.

Bajwa, who is survived by his wife and two sons, was a businessman from east Delhi and served as vice-president of the Delhi wing of BJP. He was elected councillor from Anand Vihar for the first time in the municipal elections held this April.

Delhi BJP president Dr Harshvardhan, who attended Bajwa’s funeral on Sunday evening, termed his death as an “irreparable loss to the party”.

“He was one of our finest workers, especially among the poor people. Being a true humanist, he worked relentlessly for the society. His death has come as a big shock,” he said.