Indian villagers tie telecom technician to mobile tower over poor signal

What happened in Hardauli?

Police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested six men after a telecom technician was tied to a mobile tower in Fatehpur district during a protest over two years of poor mobile phone reception.

The incident took place in Hardauli, a village about 30 kilometres from the Fatehpur district headquarters. The technician, Aditya Bhan Singh, had arrived in the village to inspect the tower’s power supply. He was quickly surrounded by a group of angry residents who began arguing with him about the poor network quality in the area.

During the argument, the villagers tied Singh to the metal frame of the tower. A video recorded by one of the locals showing the technician bound with a rope, surrounded by onlookers and children, quickly spread on social media.

Did the technician agree to be tied up?

While the video appeared to show a hostile hostage situation, the incident may have taken a cooperative turn. According to a report by the Times of India, sources suggested that Singh actually proposed the idea to the villagers himself.

Singh, who had only joined the telecom company three months prior, reportedly told the frustrated residents that tying him up would serve as dramatic proof of their grievances. He believed that being photographed in captivity was the only way to force his senior managers to finally fix a network issue that had been ignored for two years.

Why are the villagers angry?

Local residents told police they were deeply frustrated by paying for premium 5G data packages while receiving barely functional 4G connectivity. They said the erratic service frequently dropped calls, blocked internet access, and disrupted online work, causing them both inconvenience and financial losses.

According to the villagers, a private telecom company had installed the mobile tower in Hardauli two years ago, promising reliable service. Since then, they claim, the network has remained unusable, and no company representatives had visited the site for three months leading up to Singh’s visit.

What happens next?

After another villager alerted the police, emergency responders from the state's 112 helpline rushed to the scene. By the time they arrived, the villagers had already released Singh, who had been held at the base of the tower for approximately two hours.

Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Manglik confirmed that an investigation was launched after the video went viral. Following a formal complaint filed by Singh, officers at the Bindki police station registered a First Information Report (FIR).

On Friday, police arrested six local residents: Rahul Patel, 28; Suraj Yadav, 21; Alok Patel, 29; Yogendra Patel, 36; Alok Yadav, 31; and Sachin Patel, 30. Shailesh Kumar Singh, the station house officer at Bindki, said the men were charged with breach of peace and wrongful confinement under Section 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The six men were presented before a local magistrate and have since been released on bail.