A 17-hour standoff in Nangal ended in the early hours of Thursday when district authorities successfully rescued an unemployed teacher aspirant, Harjeet Singh, who had climbed a nearly 100-foot-high BSNL tower to protest against the government’s alleged move to cancel an old teacher recruitment examination and conduct a fresh test.
Sources said this was the third time Harjeet had climbed a telecom tower in different parts of the state to protest against the Punjab Government.
The incident unfolded near NFL Chowk in Nangal, which falls under the constituency of Punjab Education and Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains. The dramatic protest drew widespread attention and triggered a massive rescue and counselling operation involving the civil administration, police, BSNL officials and disaster management teams.
Harjeet, a resident of Barnala district, is among candidates who appeared for a teacher recruitment examination nearly four years ago. He alleged that the government was considering scrapping the earlier recruitment process and conducting a fresh examination. He demanded recruitment based on the already-conducted test and strongly opposed any move to restart the selection process.
He climbed the BSNL tower on Wednesday night and remained perched atop it throughout the day despite repeated appeals from authorities and family members to come down.
Nangal Tehsildar Major (retd) Sumit Dhillon personally climbed the tower to counsel the youth. He spent considerable time assuring him that his concerns would be conveyed to higher authorities. However, Harjeet Singh remained adamant and refused to descend.
The deadlock continued late into the night before the administration launched a coordinated rescue effort.
Nangal SDM Sachin Pathak said the protester was finally brought down safely around 1 am after an elaborate operation involving the Disaster Management Unit of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a sky-lift machine requisitioned from the Mohali Municipal Corporation and protective rescue nets deployed around the tower.
“A mobile phone was supplied to Harjeet Singh while he was atop the tower. Through the phone, his family members and local officials continuously counselled him and persuaded him to come down. After prolonged negotiations and rescue preparations, he was brought down safely,” Pathak said.
The incident has also highlighted a growing concern for telecom authorities. BSNL officials pointed out that telecom towers are increasingly becoming sites of protest for unemployed youth and job aspirants across Punjab, posing serious safety risks and operational challenges.
While the dramatic standoff ended without any injuries, the protest has once again brought the simmering issue of pending recruitment demands into public focus. Authorities said they would submit a report on the incident and the concerns raised by the protesting candidates to the appropriate government departments.
