NEW DELHI—More than 2,000 cell towers in northern India have been damaged, as a backlash over the deregulation of the nation’s agricultural industry has led to a showdown between farmers and India’s wealthiest businessman.
The businessman,
Mukesh Ambani,
heads
Reliance Industries Ltd.
The company, along with local authorities, says vandals showing support for a protest that has blocked the roads into New Delhi for more than a month are responsible for damaging the cell towers.
Reliance controls India’s biggest cellular company and its largest retailer, including some of the country’s largest grocery-store chains. Those chains are expected to benefit from a new law that deregulates the farming industry to allow more private-sector control of distribution. Mr. Ambani, worth around $75 billion according to Forbes magazine, is seen as close to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi,
who is backing the new law. He is one of the most influential corporate leaders in
