Shahen Shah Ali, 35, climbed a tall coconut tree to pick green coconuts. After drinking the water of one, he fell asleep at the top of the tree. Local people called out to him from below, but he did not respond.

A commotion broke out in the area and a crowd gathered. Eventually the fire service was called, and its rescue team brought him down from the top of the tree after a two-hour effort.

The incident happened on the afternoon of Sunday, 14 December, beside the West Kashimnagar Eidgah ground in Ramganj upazila of Lakshmipur.

Local resident Parvez Hossain said the young man who fell asleep in the tree is somewhat mentally disabled. He said his home was in the north of the country but could not give details of who he was. "We tried hard but could not get him down," Parvez said.

When asked to come down, Shahen Shah Ali said: "The land and the trees belong to Allah. I am picking green coconuts from Allah's tree."

Rezaul Karim, leader of the Ramganj fire service unit, said a man named Shahen Shah Ali had climbed to the top of the coconut tree and drank green coconuts sitting up there. "On getting the news we went to the spot and first asked him to come down from the tree. He stayed put. Much later he was brought down with the help of a ladder. At that point he lowered seven green coconuts tied with a rope. He was later dropped off in front of the Ramganj Upazila Health Complex."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.