Woman Safely Rescued After Climbing Water Tank Following Marriage Dispute in UP

PTI, May 12, 2026, Pilibhit : In a repeat of an iconic scene from the 1975 hit Sholay, a 22-year-old woman on Tuesday climbed atop a water tank at a village in Pilibhit district and threatened to end her life after a man allegedly refused to marry her, police said.

The incident at Banskhera village within the Madhotanda police station limits triggered a high-voltage drama that continued for nearly two hours, with villagers gathering at the spot in large numbers.

The incident brought back memories of the multi-starrer blockbuster released more than 50 years ago, where Veeru (Dharmendra) climbs atop a water tank to fulfil his wish to marry Basanti (Hema Malini) after the latter’s ‘mausi’ (Leela Mishra) trashed his proposal conveyed to her by Jai (Amitabh Bachchan).

According to police, the woman was reportedly in a relationship with the man, who later refused to marry her. Distressed, she climbed the high water tank in the village and threatened to jump from there.

Madhotanda SHO Ashok Pal said police reached the spot and tried to persuade the woman to come down safely.

“After prolonged counselling and effort, we succeeded in bringing her down safely. She is currently being counselled by experts, keeping in view her mental condition. She would be handed over to her family after completing the formalities,” the SHO said.