2 Children Stuck atop Tower in Rongpur for 10 Hours; Locals, MLA Blame Telecom Company Lapse

Two minor boys were rescued on Thursday after they became stranded atop a mobile tower at Rongpur Shantipara in Silchar, triggering panic in the locality and raising serious questions about safety arrangements at the site.

The children, identified as 13-year-old Rajib Hussain and 7-year-old Himangshu Das, had reportedly climbed the tower around 4 AM. Local residents noticed them after some time and urged them to come down, but the boys were too frightened to descend.

Police, SDRF personnel and staff of the mobile tower company rushed to the spot after being alerted. After several hours of effort, the rescue team managed to bring both children down safely. They were later sent to hospital for medical examination. Both are students, studying in Class VII and Class IV respectively.

The incident created tension in the neighbourhood, with a large number of residents and media persons gathering at the scene.

During the media interaction, a person present at the site from Altius Telecom refused to identify himself and behaved rudely with journalists. He declined to answer any questions and instead asked whether the children involved had been questioned. When asked about the absence of proper barricades around the tower, he pointed to a recently installed makeshift tin barrier. He then tried to handle a journalist’s camera without consent, which led to protests. He later denied the allegation and left without further comment.

Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust is a telecom tower infrastructure company that owns, operates and maintains mobile towers and related facilities across India. It provides space and technical support to network operators rather than offering mobile services itself. Airtel, as a telecom service provider, installs its equipment on such towers. Therefore, the tower in question is maintained by Altius, while Airtel uses it to deliver connectivity.

Local BJP leader Sikha Roy questioned the safety measures at the tower site. She said she had been told that children often climbed the structure.

“Why would this even happen. What sort of a system is this. There should be a proper wall to prevent entry,” she said, adding that for many days the area had remained open without barricades and that only recently a temporary tin barrier had been erected. She also claimed to have seen children loitering around the tower earlier.

Several residents echoed similar concerns. A neighbour of the tower said the structure had stood for nearly a decade without any proper boundary wall.

“It was open for years. People could enter easily. Only recently, after complaints that the place was being used for drinking alcohol, a tin barricade was put up around two weeks ago,” he said. He added that a proper wall might have prevented the children from climbing the tower and held those responsible for maintaining the site accountable.

MLA Mihir Kanti Shome also spoke to the media, stating that police and rescue agencies were informed immediately after the incident came to light.

“The children were rescued and taken for medical check-up. The company did not maintain adequate safety measures,” he said, while also highlighting concerns about alcohol and drug use in the poorly lit area.

The MLA also highlighted concerns about drug use and other illegal activities in the area, stating that the location has become vulnerable due to poor monitoring and lack of security. He said the Superintendent of Police would be informed about the issue and asked to take necessary steps to control such activities and ensure better law and order in the locality.

Superintendent of Police Partha Protim Das told Barak Bulletin that the police would take proactive steps to prevent similar incidents and spread awareness to ensure that all such vulnerable locations remain properly locked and secured. He said the focus would not be limited to one tower but would cover all telecom towers and similar sites across the area, and that further investigation would be carried out. He also stressed that it is the responsibility of telecom companies to secure these installations to prevent children or any unauthorised persons from gaining access, adding that necessary action would be ensured.