Man climbs mobile tower in Siwan, demands probe into brother’s death

Patna: A man climbed a mobile tower near an engineering college in the Mufassil police station area of Siwan district on Saturday, demanding justice for his brother’s alleged custodial death.

He threatened to commit suicide unless the DM and SP met him.The man, identified as Saif Ali alias Lalu, a resident of Mohiddinpur, climbed the tower and remained there for nearly three hours before being persuaded by police to come down.His younger brother, Anwar Ali, was arrested on July 31, 2025, in a theft case and he died in jail on Aug 2 under suspicious circumstances. While jail authorities termed it a suicide, the family has alleged foul play and claimed it was a case of murder.The family also alleged that despite repeated requests, they have not received the postmortem and forensic reports even after nine months, prompting Saif’s protest.Upon receiving information, Mufassil SHO Upendra Kumar Singh reached the spot with his team and tried to convince Saif to climb down. However, he remained adamant, demanding that senior administrative officials be called to the spot and give written assurance of action.

“Saif, the elder brother of the deceased, alleged that even nine months after the incident, no action has been taken in the case. The postmortem report has not been made available to them till now. In protest, he climbed a mobile tower in Mohiddinpur under Mufassil police station area,” Singh said.He added that the police would conduct a probe if the family submits a formal application.“ If the family submits a written complaint, a proper investigation will be carried out in the matter,” the SHO said.Earlier, considering the seriousness of the case, the postmortem was conducted at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), but the family claimed the report has not been shared so far.The incident comes amid a spate of similar protests across Bihar, where people have climbed mobile towers to press their demands.On March 26, a minor girl climbed a tower in Motihari’s Rajepur area, demanding to marry her boyfriend. On April 1, a man climbed a tower at Muzaffarpur Junction with a similar demand. On April 5, a woman climbed a tower in East Champaran’s Pipra area, while on April 8, a married man in Samastipur staged a similar protest.Similar incidents have also been reported recently from Khagaria, Katihar and Vaishali districts.