Lovely supporter protests again, this time climbs tower

A Congress worker on Tuesday climbed up a transmission tower in east Delhi and threatened to jump if Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely did not agree to contest the Assembly polls.

Afzal Ahmed Chand came down three hours later, but only after Lovely himself called him on his mobile phone.

Chand had told Deccan Herald on Monday that he intended to take a drastic step if Lovely did not reconsider. He had even produced a letter which had contained the threat.

On Tuesday morning, Chand called up a few media outlets, including Deccan Herald, before proceeding to a transmission tower near Shastri Park Metro station in east Delhi around 10 am.

Before public or police could sniff his plan, Chand climbed up about 100 feet on the tower and began raising slogans that urged Lovely to contest the polls.

“We immediately arrived at the scene on receiving a call from the public. We summoned the fire brigades to attempt a rescue if required,” a police officer said.

“I had carried with me a letter in which I had exhorted Lovely to change his decision. I threw that letter down to police to communicate my demands,” Chand told Deccan Herald.

He also threatened that the station house officer of Gandhi Nagar, under whose jurisdiction the spot falls, would be held responsible if he jumped.

The fire department officials immediately began negotiating with Chand even as curious onlookers gathered at the spot. 

“Each time any fire official would try to climb the tower, Chand would either climb even higher or threaten to jump. Finally, a decision was taken to persuade him only verbally,” said SHO of Gandhi Nagar.

The man in his mid-40s then demanded that Lovely personally visit him and give assurances. Local party workers immediately called Lovely and updated him about the situation.
“Lovely called me on my mobile phone and assured me that he would take up the issue with the party high command. He will update me about the developments tomorrow,” said 

Chand who finally came down after the call from Lovely. He had intentionally carried his mobile phone along with him, he said.

Similar scenes were witnessed on Monday at Lovely’s residence as one person doused himself with petrol while several others carried rat poison with them in a bid to persuade Lovely to change his decision.