Woman scales tower in Muzaffarpur, insists on marrying female partner

Patna: A 19-year-old woman climbed a 220-kV high-tension transmission tower in Sahebganj police station area of Muzaffarpur district on Thursday and refused to come down for nearly six hours, demanding that she be allowed to marry the woman she loves.The drama unfolded at Gulab Patti village under Gulab Patti panchayat around 8.30am and soon drew hundreds of onlookers. Police and administrative officials rushed to the spot, but the woman remained atop the tower despite repeated requests from her family and officials.Identified as Babita Kumari, a resident of Gulab Patti, she claimed she had secretly married her female partner about one-and-a-half years ago and wanted to live with her.

However, her partner’s family was allegedly arranging her marriage to a man from Sahebganj. “I will marry only the woman I love. Is it a crime for a girl to love another girl?” Babita shouted from the tower.According to police, Babita had been opposing marriage proposals for more than a year. Her father told officials that she had consistently refused to marry anyone other than her partner.He said Babita had recently objected to her partner’s proposed marriage, but the family continued with the wedding preparations, prompting her to climb the tower in protest.

As the situation escalated, Saraiya SDPO Abhijeet Kumar and Sahebganj CO Pinki Rai joined efforts to persuade her to come down. After hours of counselling, Babita agreed to descend only after being allowed to speak to her partner on the phone. Police facilitated the call, following which she climbed down on her own.SDPO Abhijeet Kumar said Babita was taken to Sahebganj police station for questioning and later handed over to her family. “The girl’s safety was our top priority. No case has been registered so far. The family has been counselled and the matter is being handled sensitively,” he said.