Villagers in Uttar Pradesh Tie Telecom Technician to Tower Over Bad Service
In Hardauli village, Fatehpur district, residents detained a mobile-tower technician and bound him to the tower for about two hours after complaining about poor network coverage.
A dispute over inadequate mobile coverage in Hardauli village, Fatehpur district, escalated into a physical confrontation on Thursday evening. Technician Adityabhan Singh, who had arrived to check the tower’s power supply, was seized by a group of locals and tied to the tower for roughly two hours, after one villager suggested the act might compel the telecom company to act. The villagers complained that the private network installed about two years ago continues to deliver weak signals, affecting calls, internet use and causing perceived financial harm.
Police arriving after a 112 alert freed Singh and escorted him to Bindiki police station, where he lodged an FIR against unknown villagers. A video of the episode spread on social media, prompting an investigation into the assault and the underlying service issues.
Why it matters
The episode highlights growing frustration with unreliable telecom services in rural India and raises concerns about community-level vigilantism.
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