Villagers in Hardauli, a village in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district, allegedly tied up a telecom engineer with cables to a mobile tower in protest over poor 5G connectivity. The worker, identified locally as Aditya Bhan Singh, was confronted when he arrived to address the signal issues that have plagued the area for over two years.
Protest over unstable 4G and unmet 5G promises
Residents had been paying for 5G services but were forced to rely on unstable 4G connections, according to police. The villagers expressed frustration that frequent complaints had not led to any improvement in the signal quality. The private telecom tower at the centre of their anger became the site of the confrontation.
Police described the incident as stemming from connectivity disputes. Superintendent of Fatehpur Police, Abhimanyu Manglik, told the Times of India: 'Villagers claimed the area had been facing poor mobile connectivity, particularly 5G services, for nearly two years despite a private telecom tower being installed there.'
Engineer released, five charged
It is alleged that the villagers threatened not to untie Singh until officials from the network provider resolved the problem. However, he was soon released. The confrontation was reported to police after a video showing Singh tied up was widely shared online.
Five people have since been charged with unlawful confinement and disturbing public order. The charges reflect the seriousness with which authorities are treating the incident, even as local grievances over connectivity remain unresolved.
Impact and ongoing concerns
The incident highlights the depth of frustration in rural areas over inadequate telecom infrastructure. While the immediate legal consequences have been set in motion, the underlying issues of poor 5G coverage and unmet service expectations persist for the villagers of Hardauli.
