Lucknow: A 19-year-old Class XII student climbed a nearly 100-foot-high mobile tower in Gorakhpur early Monday, saying she wanted to marry her boyfriend and threatening to jump if her family forced her to marry someone else.
She remained atop the tower for about three hours before being persuaded to come down safely, police said.
Residents said the girl was first noticed around 5 am by people out for morning walks. No injuries were reported.
As word spread, a crowd gathered near the tower and locals tried to convince her to descend, but she refused.According to residents, the student told people at the spot that she had been in a relationship with a young man from a nearby village for a long time and wanted to marry him. She said her family was arranging her marriage elsewhere, which led her to take the step of climbing the tower.Witnesses said she repeatedly threatened to jump if her demand was not accepted, prompting concern among onlookers. During the negotiations, she reportedly maintained that she wanted to live with her boyfriend and would not agree to another marriage.Officials said she eventually agreed to come down after being assured that her concerns would be heard and addressed. Upset over the decision, she allegedly climbed the tower to press her demand, police said.The episode drew a large number of local residents, who remained at the site as efforts continued.
The incident occurred in Mangalpur village under the Gulriha police station area. Locals alerted the Gulriha police, after which a police team reached the site along with her family members. Police personnel and relatives spent nearly three hours talking to her and urging her to climb down. She was brought down without injury and handed over to her family.During preliminary inquiries, police learnt that the family had decided to arrange her marriage elsewhere after coming to know about her relationship.