BETTIAH: More than 25 years after Sholay was released, its impact can still be felt. More so in Veeru’s ascent to the water tank to express his love for Basanti, played by real-life couple Dharmendra and Hema Malini. Over the years, countless lovelorn men have climbed water tanks, electricity poles and mobile towers to express their love. While it worked for some, others found themselves in cuffs.On Friday, in a role reversal, a 20-year-old woman climbed a mobile tower in Gopalganj district, demanding the release of her boyfriend, who had been detained by police following a complaint filed by her family.The incident took place in Bankata Jagirdari village under Bhore police station limits and triggered a tense stand-off that lasted for several hours.Bhore SHO Rohini Upadhyay said Arpita Kumari, daughter of Sanjay Gond, had been in a relationship with a local youth, Pawan Chauhan, for a long time.On Thursday night, Arpita allegedly went missing from her home. Family members searched for her but after they failed to find her, lodged a complaint with Bhore police station, suspecting that Pawan may have abducted her. Acting on the complaint, police detained Pawan for questioning.On Friday morning, villagers informed the police that a young woman had climbed a mobile tower in Bankata Jagirdari village. When police reached the spot, they found Arpita on top of the tower and urged her to come down. She refused to climb down and demanded that Pawan be released and that the two be allowed to marry.Despite repeated requests by the police and villagers, Arpita remained on the tower. As the stand-off continued, police brought Pawan, still in handcuffs, to the spot. Only after seeing him did Arpita agree to climb down.Police said the woman’s family later reached the police station and tried to convince her to return home, but she refused and insisted on marrying Pawan. Her family members, however, are opposed to the marriage. Police said efforts are being made to counsel both sides.