Man climbs electricity pole, gets down after 4 hours as lover agrees to marry him

Malay Ray

Rourkela: In a scene reminiscent of Sholay, a 29-year-old man climbed a high-tension electricity pole in Sundargarh district on Sunday night and threatened to end his life unless the woman of his dreams married him.

The incident, which unfolded at Budakata under Kutra police station limits, kept locals on the edge for nearly four hours before climbing down around 2 am on Monday, when the woman, a widow and mother of two, reached the spot and agreed to marry him.

Police identified the man as Suraj Khalko, a mason from Natki village. Estranged from his wife for the past three years, Suraj lives with his two sons, aged 7 and 5. He had met Madhuri Bud (24), a widow from Lakdaghara village, about three months back. Madhuri, who has two daughters aged 7 and 4, works as a labourer in a factory in the Kutra area.

Sources said Suraj had recently proposed marriage, but Madhuri asked him to first build a proper house. Upset with the condition set by her, Suraj climbed a nearly 40ft-high electric pole around 10 pm on Sunday, threatening to jump if Madhuri did not come and agree to marry him. As panic spread, villagers alerted the police and fire services.

Police, along with firefighters, reached the spot and tried to persuade him to climb down. In the meantime, power supply was disconnected to avert any mishap.

With Suraj refusing to relent, police contacted Madhuri and brought her to the spot. She appealed to him to come down and eventually agreed to marry him, following which Suraj climbed down.

On Monday, family members of Suraj and Madhuri met at Kutra police station and agreed to the marriage. “Both families have consented to the marriage,” said S Biswal, sub-inspector at Kutra police station. Suraj was let off with a warning.