Youth Climbs 35-Foot CCTV Pole in Surat, Causes Panic and Massive Traffic Jam

Surat | Gujarat —Panic gripped the busy Pal-Umra Bridge area in Surat late on Thursday night after a mentally unstable youth climbed a 35-foot-high CCTV surveillance pole in the middle of the road, triggering chaos, heavy traffic congestion and a tense rescue operation.

The dramatic incident took place near Sat Kewal Chowk, one of the city’s crowded traffic junctions. Eyewitnesses said the youth climbed the high-tech CCTV pole carrying a bag and showed no fear despite the dangerous height. People passing through the area stopped in shock as the youth sat atop the structure and allegedly tried to damage the expensive surveillance cameras installed on it.

“He was pulling at the cameras and behaving unpredictably. At one point, he even calmly lit a bidi while sitting at the top,” said a local resident who witnessed the incident.

As the situation unfolded, hundreds of curious onlookers gathered below the pole. Instead of helping emergency teams, many people were seen recording videos on their mobile phones and streaming the incident live on social media. The crowd and roadside commotion soon brought traffic movement on the Pal-Umra route to a standstill, creating a traffic jam stretching nearly one kilometre.

Police officials from Umra police station rushed to the spot and tried for a long time to convince the youth to climb down safely. However, their repeated appeals failed to calm him.

“Considering the seriousness of the situation and the risk of the youth falling, the fire department was immediately called for assistance,” a police official said.

Within minutes, teams from the Surat Fire Department reached the location and launched a carefully planned rescue operation. Fire personnel patiently spoke with the youth and slowly gained his trust before safely bringing him down after nearly one-and-a-half hours of intense efforts.