In Sheopur district's Beerpur police station area, a woman spent 32 hours perched atop a 60-foot BSNL tower in a desperate bid to reclaim her own land. Ramabai, a resident of Shyarde village, stayed put at the very top of the state-run telecom tower while her family and fellow villagers held a sit-in protest on the ground below. She finally climbed down safely only after prolonged talks with officials and a firm assurance from the administration.
Her complaint about illegal occupation went unheard
Ramabai alleges that a piece of land registered in her name under a formal lease is under illegal occupation by an influential local man. She had been pleading with the administration for a long time to get her leased land cleared of this encroachment, but despite her repeated requests, no concrete action was ever taken against the occupier.
Administration turned around and tried to evict her instead
In a strange turn of events, instead of acting against the man occupying her leased plot, the administration arrived to evict Ramabai from a separate piece of government land that she currently occupies. Angered by this one-sided move, she climbed the tower in protest. Her demand was clear and unwavering: she would not vacate the government land until the illegal occupation of her leased land was removed first.
32 hours on the tower without food or water
Amid scorching heat and mounting tension, Ramabai spent a full 32 hours atop the tower without eating or drinking anything. Below, her family members and other villagers also sat in continuous protest, refusing to budge until the administration responded. Her relatives warned officials in no uncertain terms that if anything happened to Ramabai because of hunger, thirst or any other reason during her protest, the administration alone would be held directly responsible for it.
She came down after administrative intervention
As the standoff dragged on and the matter escalated, senior administrative officials reached the spot in person and tried to persuade Ramabai to climb down safely. After roughly 32 hours of sustained effort, the administration put the eviction action against her on hold for the time being. Officials assured her that both sides in the dispute would soon be brought together for talks, and that proper steps would be taken to clear her leased land of the encroachment. It was only after receiving this assurance that Ramabai finally agreed to come down from the tower.
