Married Man in UP Climbs Tower, Asks to Marry His Sister-in-Law

In a dramatic spectacle reminiscent of the Bollywood classic Sholay, Raj Saxena, a resident of Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, climbed a high-voltage electricity tower on Thursday, August 28, demanding to marry his wife’s younger sister. The seven-hour standoff, which drew crowds and disrupted local traffic, ended after police and family members persuaded him to descend, reportedly promising to discuss his request.

Saxena’s saga began in 2021 when he married his first wife, who tragically passed away due to illness in 2022. He then married her younger sister, a practice not uncommon in some Indian communities to maintain family ties, though legally and socially complex. After over two years of marriage, Saxena, now 32, claimed to have fallen in love with his current wife’s younger sister, the third sibling in the family. When his wife rejected his proposal to marry her sister as well, Saxena staged his protest atop the tower, shouting his intentions to wed the third sister-in-law, whom he claimed reciprocates his feelings.

“I love her, and she loves me too,” Saxena told reporters after being brought down safely around 5 PM. The incident, reported by NDTV and other outlets, sparked chaos in Chhibramau, Kannauj, with videos circulating on social media showing Saxena perched on the tower as onlookers gathered below. Police, led by Inspector Anil Kumar of Chhibramau station, engaged in prolonged negotiations, assuring Saxena that his family would consider his demand, though no formal agreement was confirmed.

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The episode highlights cultural tensions around remarriage in India. While sororate marriage—marrying a deceased wife’s sister—is practiced in some communities, marrying multiple sisters simultaneously is illegal under India’s Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which prohibits polygamy. Saxena’s demand has raised eyebrows, with local residents like Ramesh Yadav calling it “bizarre and inappropriate.” Others, however, noted the family’s history of close-knit ties, suggesting emotional complexities at play.

This is not the first such incident in Uttar Pradesh. In 2023, a woman in Maharajganj climbed a mobile tower to demand marriage, also drawing Sholay comparisons. Saxena’s case, however, has garnered attention for its audacity and the legal questions it raises. No charges have been filed, but police have increased patrols in the area to prevent further disruptions. The family has remained silent, and it’s unclear whether Saxena’s demand will be entertained.

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