Everyone remembers Veeru climbing that water tank in Sholay to win over Basanti — it’s one of those scenes that just stuck, even fifty years on. Lately, though, the same stunt keeps showing up in real life, and not for laughs. Young men and women across India have been climbing mobile towers, railway gantries, and other precarious spots — not to recreate a movie moment, but to force a family’s hand on marriage, get a partner out of police custody, or simply make sure someone finally listens to them. Alongside these incidents, dangerous stunts performed by couples on public roads for social media attention have also triggered concern among authorities.
Bihar woman climbs mobile tower seeking boyfriend’s releaseA dramatic incident unfolded in Bihar’s Gopalganj district on Friday when a 20-year-old woman climbed a mobile tower demanding the release of her boyfriend, who had been detained by police following a complaint lodged by her family.The incident occurred in Bankata Jagirdari village under Bhore police station limits and led to a tense stand-off that lasted several hours.Bhore SHO Rohini Upadhyay said Arpita Kumari, daughter of Sanjay Gond, had been in a relationship with local resident Pawan Chauhan for a long time.According to police, Arpita allegedly went missing from her home on Thursday night. After failing to locate her, family members approached Bhore police station and alleged that Pawan had abducted her. Acting on the complaint, police detained the young man for questioning.
20-year-old woman climbed a mobile tower demanding the release of her boyfriend,
The following morning, police received information that a young woman had climbed a mobile tower in the village. Upon reaching the spot, officers discovered that it was Arpita. Despite repeated requests from police personnel and villagers, she refused to come down and demanded that Pawan be released and that the couple be allowed to marry.As the situation continued, police brought Pawan, who was still in handcuffs, to the site. Only after seeing him did Arpita agree to descend from the tower.Police said that after reaching the police station, her family attempted to persuade her to return home, but she remained firm on her decision to marry Pawan. Family members, however, continue to oppose the relationship. Officials said efforts are underway to counsel both families.Rescue operation after family disputeA similar high-risk incident was reported from Noida’s Sector 63 on Thursday when a 19-year-old woman climbed a mobile tower after allegedly becoming upset following an argument with her mother.The young woman, originally from Maharajganj’s Chowk Bazaar, has been residing in Chotpur Colony for the past three years. Police said she had recently left her factory job.According to officials, the argument with her mother left her distressed, prompting her to climb a tower located in Block J of Sector 63.
Police and fire department teams immediately rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. Fire personnel initially focused on communicating with the woman and calming her down before initiating rescue efforts.Using a hydraulic platform, rescue teams safely brought her down within approximately 30 minutes.Officials stated that preliminary questioning suggested she was under mental stress due to ongoing family issues. Her family members were informed and counselling was arranged.Chief fire officer Pradeep Chaubey said that the team prioritised communication to ensure the woman remained calm before initiating the rescue.“Our personnel first engaged in conversation with her and reassured her. Once she was stable, we used the hydraulic platform to bring her down safely,” he said.Senior officials, including the sub-divisional magistrate and assistant commissioner of police, supervised the operation.Woman climbs railway tower with 3 childrenIn Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district, panic gripped the railway station area on Friday after a woman climbed a railway tower with her three young children, insisting that she be allowed to live with her alleged lover.The woman, identified as Geeta Devi, climbed the tower near the station escalator.Officials said she ascended nearly 100 feet on the approximately 150-foot-high structure along with her children and refused to come down unless her demand to live with Ram Akabal Singh was accepted.Personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) and local police spent several hours attempting to persuade her. However, she remained adamant.
Woman climbs railway tower with 3 children in UP, demands to live with lover
A four-member team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) eventually climbed the structure and convinced her to descend. The woman and her children were safely rescued around 4.30 pm, ending a rescue operation that lasted nearly nine hours.Assistant Commandant of the Gonda RPF, Mahendra Prasad, said the woman had climbed the tower with her children and was rescued after extensive counselling.He said the woman wanted to live with a man and had resorted to the extreme step to press her demand.Chhapra tower drama ends after hours of negotiationEarlier this year, another tower-climbing incident in Bihar’s Chhapra district drew massive public attention.A 28-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh climbed a 200-foot-high mobile tower in Takiya village under Inayatpur panchayat, threatening to jump unless her boyfriend’s family agreed to their marriage.Police said the woman had been in a relationship with a 30-year-old man from the village for nearly three years. The two had reportedly met several times in Delhi, where the man worked for a private company.When the man’s family opposed the marriage and allegedly forced him to choose between them and the woman, communication between the couple stopped.The woman travelled to Chhapra and attempted to convince the family but failed. She then reportedly wrote a suicide note holding the man and his family responsible before climbing the tower.From the top, she recorded and uploaded social media videos demanding marriage and warning that she would jump.The videos quickly gained attention online, while more than 5,000 people gathered near the site.Police and fire officials used loudspeakers to negotiate with her, but she refused to come down. After spending several hours atop the tower, she reportedly fainted. A police officer and a tower technician climbed up, provided water and safely brought her down.SHO Nirbhay Kumar said, “The girl is safe. She claimed that they are already married. After counselling, the boy’s family has agreed for their relationship and the boy will also come to his hometown. Ajay is currently in Delhi.”
Woman climbs BSNL tower after relationship disputeAnother tower-climbing incident was reported from Pratapgarh district, where a 20-year-old woman scaled a BSNL tower in Malaqa Rajjakpur village after allegedly being rebuked by her friend’s mother.Police said the woman took the step after her friend’s mother objected to their relationship and reprimanded her.The incident triggered an hour-long drama as police and local residents gathered below the tower and attempted to persuade her to descend.The woman, a resident of Narsinghpur village, climbed the tower around 10.28 am under Hathigaon police station limits.She was eventually brought down safely and later detained by police for allegedly obstructing a public servant on duty.Viral romance stunts on roads trigger police actionWhile some individuals are climbing towers to pressure families or authorities, others are risking lives on roads for social media fame.In Pratapgarh, police booked a couple after a video surfaced showing a dangerous stunt at the Belha Devi temple ghat campus.The footage allegedly showed Rajpath Patel lifting a motorcycle with his bare hands before his wife, Rekha, climbed onto it in a dramatic sequence.A senior police officer said, “Filming a dangerous stunt with wife at the campus of a prominent Pratapgarh temple drew legal action against the man under section 170 of BNSS ( preventive measure) The kotwali police initiated the action aginst the wife under section 126 and 135 of BNSS).”Couple’s motorcycle video sparks outrageIn Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, a video showing a young couple romancing on a moving motorcycle went viral and drew widespread criticism.The footage showed the woman sitting on the motorcycle’s fuel tank while hugging the rider. Neither was wearing a helmet.The video was recorded by passersby and later circulated widely on social media, prompting police intervention.Authorities identified and arrested the rider, 21-year-old Manish, on charges related to endangering public safety.Traffic ASP Richa Mishra said, “This is a wrong way to seek cheap publicity. Traffic rules have been openly violated.”Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act and launched further investigation.Rs 55,000 fine for expressway stunt in noidaA similar case emerged from the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, where a video showed a young woman sitting astride on a motorcycle’s fuel tank and hugging the rider while the vehicle was moving.The 19-second clip sparked outrage online.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Lakhan Singh Yadav said authorities imposed a penalty of Rs 55,000 for violating traffic regulations.
Couple doing dangerous stunts on Noida-Greater Noida expressway
“The video came into notice through social media in which a boy and his co-rider were seen flouting traffic norms. After that a challan of Rs 55000 has been issued to them for flouting traffic norms,” Yadav said.He also urged young people to follow road safety rules and avoid dangerous behaviour that could result in accidents and legal action.Pune car roof stunt raises safety concernsIn Pune, another viral video showed a couple sitting on the roof of a moving car in the Kharadi area during the night.The pair was seen posing romantically while the vehicle continued moving through traffic, alarming viewers and reigniting concerns about social media-driven stunts.The incident came shortly after another video surfaced from Shindewadi near Khed Shivapur, showing a young woman sitting backwards on a motorcycle’s petrol tank while the rider continued driving.Authorities have repeatedly warned that such acts endanger not only those involved but also other road users.Under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, dangerous driving can attract fines of up to Rs 10,000 and imprisonment for up to one year.A growing pattern of public risk-takingThe incidents, though occurring in different states and under varying circumstances, reflect a growing pattern of public risk-taking driven by relationship disputes, family conflicts and the pursuit of online attention.Whether scaling mobile towers to demand marriage or filming dangerous stunts for social media, such actions often force authorities to divert significant resources toward rescue operations and enforcement measures.Police officials across states continue to emphasise counselling, public awareness and strict legal action as essential tools to discourage such behaviour and prevent potential tragedies.
