A peacock was manhandled by people taking selfies with it so roughly it died.

The striking bird strolled into the city of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, India where it sparked huge excitement among the locals.

The peacock is the national bird of India.

Jalpaiguri wildlife warden Seema Chowdhury told local media: “We are investigating to find out what happened. What the villagers did was obviously not right. We are also trying to find out how the bird fell ill.”

Chowdhury has confirmed that police and forest department officials have launched an investigation into the peacock’s untimely demise.

According to reports, the bird strutted into a busy area of town and triggering a frenzy among selfie-loving locals.

Residents reportedly spread its plumage apart and yanked at its legs in an attempt to get it to fan out its tail feathers.

Cops said that the bird died on the way to the police station and its body was handed over to Binnaguri wildlife workers.

When probed about the incident, State Forest Minister Binay Krishna Barman told media that he was not aware of the case.

The bird’s death is the latest in a worrying trend of people getting too close to wildlife for the sake of a selfie, often proving disastrous for both animals and humans.

A month ago a bear was beaten to death by an angry mob in India after a man angered the beast by trying to take a selfie.