As many as 1,500 mobile towers and telecom gear owned by Reliance Industry’s Jio were vandalised in Punjab allegedly by farmers protesting...
As many as 1,500 mobile towers and telecom gear owned by Reliance Industry’s Jio were vandalised in Punjab allegedly by farmers protesting the new agricultural legislations, amid fear and resentment that the reforms will pave the way for corporate exploitation, NDTV reported on Monday.
A representative of the telecom company told the news channel that multiple acts of vandalism and arson, including physical damage of towers and theft of generators, had led to power disruptions in parts of the state. The state police had not taken action against the perpetrators as of Monday.
The alleged attacks started last week as protestors vented their anger against the firm owned by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, who is seen as one of the major beneficiaries of the farm laws. In Moosa village of Mansa district, one pole connected to the tower was thrown away while a cable box was also found burnt. Protestors in Jalandhar allegedly burnt some bundles of Jio’s fibre cable.
As many as 176 towers have been damaged since Saturday, two unidentified officials told PTI. In some incidents, telecom technicians were allegedly harassed on the job.
“Incidents of snapping of power lines to attempts to axe the towers have been reported from different parts of Punjab,” an...
