UP Villagers Tie Telecom Technician To Mobile Tower Over Network Woes For 2 Years (WATCH)

A group of villagers allegedly held a telecom technician captive and tied him to a mobile tower for nearly two hours in protest over poor mobile connectivity in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district. The incident took place in Hardauli village on Thursday evening, with villagers reportedly furious over network problems that they claimed had persisted for nearly two years. Police personnel from the 112 emergency response service rushed to the spot after receiving information and rescued the technician.

Following a complaint by the technician, identified as Adityabhan Singh, an FIR under Section 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Bindki police station against unknown villagers.

Technician tied to tower amid heated argument

According to his complaint, Singh, a resident of Basawanpur (Aung), had gone to Hardauli village on Thursday evening to inspect the power supply at the telecom site. While he was there, a group of villagers allegedly confronted him and began arguing over the poor mobile network in the area. Singh claimed that during the heated exchange, one of the villagers suggested that others tie him to the tower, saying, "then only we will get better connectivity."

5G नेटवर्क नहीं मिला तो ग्रामीणों ने जिओ नेटवर्क के कर्मचारी को ही टावर से बांध दियाफतेहपुर के हरदौली गांव में दो साल से 5G नेटवर्क का इंतजार कर रहे ग्रामीणों का गुस्सा ऐसा फूटा कि टावर पर पहुंचे कर्मचारी को ही बंधक बना लिया।ऑनलाइन पढ़ाई और डिजिटल पेमेंट ठप होने का आरोप,... twitter/NVJ9BhecyO

- Sudhir Chauhan (@sudhirstar) September 11, 2026

The villagers allegedly followed the suggestion, restrained the technician and tied him to the mobile tower, where he remained captive for around two hours.

Another villager alerted the police, following which personnel from the 112 emergency service reached the location and freed Singh. He was subsequently taken to the police station.

A video purportedly showing the incident has also surfaced and reportedly gone viral on social media.

Villagers blame poor network for losses

The villagers claimed that inadequate connectivity had been causing widespread problems with phone calls, internet access and other online activities. They alleged that the persistent network issues had resulted in inconvenience as well as financial losses for local residents.

They also complained that mobile users were paying high recharge charges despite receiving inadequate network services.

According to villagers, a private telecom company had installed the mobile tower in Hardauli around two years ago. Residents had initially hoped the installation would finally resolve their connectivity problems.

However, they alleged that the network remained poor even after two years and that their repeated grievances had gone unheard.

Technician's alleged suggestion adds twist

However, according to sources, when the villagers pressured the technician to resolve their connectivity complaints, he himself allegedly advised them to make him captive so that their grievances could be escalated to senior officials of the telecom company.

A villager reportedly recorded the episode on video, and the footage subsequently spread rapidly across social media. Police came to know about the incident after the video began circulating.

An investigation is underway.

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