Pilibhit (UP), Feb 7 (IANS) A 60-year-old farmer, who was staying up in his field to guard against stray cattle, is suspected to have died of cold in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district.

On Saturday night, the farmer, Chote Lal, was sleeping on a charpoy in a thatched hut in his field located in Patrasiya village of Barkheda area.

On Sunday, when his son found him unconscious, he was immediately rushed to the district hospital, where he was declared dead.

Village head Harinand Gangwar informed the police about his death and raised the issue with the local administration.

A team, led by Tehsildar Devendra Singh, visited the village and met the family of the deceased. Although, Singh offered compensation, the farmer's son refused to accept it.

"We have been complaining about the stray cattle menace but no action was taken. My father would have been alive if it was not for the stray cattle problem," he told the media.