The incident took place on October 23 in Chaudhary village, under the jurisdiction of Motipur police station in Bahraich district. The woman, a resident of Basthanwa village in the same police station area, had been in a relationship with Nooruddin, a fellow villager, for a considerable period. Both wanted to get married, but their families were unwilling to give their consent.
Nooruddin was living in Mumbai for work, while the woman remained in Bahraich. Frustrated by the opposition from their families, she climbed a BSNL mobile tower in Chaudhary village and insisted that their marriage be solemnised immediately. She threatened to jump from the tower and end her life if her demand was not met, triggering panic in the village.
As news of the incident spread, a crowd gathered below the approximately 100-foot-high tower. The woman's family was forced to call the police, who arrived at the scene and began efforts to bring her down safely.
However, the woman refused to descend until her demand for marriage was fulfilled. Whenever the police approached the tower in an attempt to reach her, she climbed higher, forcing the officers to hold back to avoid putting her at greater risk.
The police then adopted a different approach to resolve the situation. Rather than attempting to bring her down by force, officers spoke to members of both families to understand the dispute and the reasons behind their opposition to the marriage.
Police officials called representatives of the two families separately and held discussions with them, attempting to persuade them to accept the relationship. The officers faced two immediate challenges: ensuring the woman's safety and resolving the family dispute that had led her to climb the tower.
After sustained efforts and mediation by the police, both families agreed to the marriage. A Qazi was called to the location, and arrangements were made to conduct the nikah online because the woman was in Bahraich while Nooruddin was in Mumbai for work.
The online nikah ceremony was conducted in the presence of the Qazi. Once the marriage ceremony was completed, the police and others at the scene persuaded the woman to climb down. After considerable reassurance, she eventually descended from the tower safely.
The police did not register a report against the woman. Instead, officers counselled her about the danger she had exposed herself to by climbing the tower and threatening to jump.
The woman said she had repeatedly asked her family to arrange her nikah with Nooruddin, but they had refused to agree. She claimed she felt she had no other option and decided to climb the tower to make her family accept the marriage.
Explaining her motivation, the woman said she had drawn inspiration from a scene in the film Sholay involving the character Veeru. In the film, Veeru climbs a water tank in an attempt to get Basanti. Comparing her situation with the scene, she said Veeru had managed to get his Basanti, and she had found her Nooruddin. She added that while a water tank had worked for Veeru, a mobile tower had worked for her.
The incident in Bahraich ended with the families agreeing to the marriage following police mediation. What began as a dangerous standoff atop a mobile tower was resolved through negotiations, an online nikah and the woman's eventual safe return to the ground.
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