Chandigarh 'iPhone Langar' Moves Indoors as 10 Handsets Given Away, 2,000 Promised
Rakesh Trehan distributed 10 iPhone 17 handsets from a private Chandigarh residence after a planned public giveaway was disallowed over crowd safety concerns.
A free iPhone giveaway in Chandigarh, billed as an "iPhone Langar", was held away from public roads on Tuesday, with businessman Rakesh Trehan handing out iPhone 17 handsets from a private bungalow in Sector 10.
Trehan, who is popularly known as Raja D King, had announced that he would distribute the handsets at no cost as part of the initiative. The plan to hold the distribution on city streets did not go ahead after Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav said such a gathering could pose crowd-management and safety problems.
Moving the event to a kothi in Sector 10 allowed the handover to proceed without drawing a large crowd onto the streets.
The way recipients were chosen was unusual. Trehan is said to have opened his WhatsApp messages, scrolled through them and picked names at random, announcing those selected as beneficiaries. In the first round, 10 people were chosen and given iPhone 17 handsets.
The giveaway has attracted wide attention, in part because it follows Trehan's earlier "langar" drives in the city, during which he distributed money and petrol. He has said his distribution efforts will continue.
Trehan has also set a target of handing out around 2,000 iPhones under the initiative. While only the first batch of 10 recipients has been covered so far, he has indicated that more people could receive handsets in the coming days.
Videos of the distribution have been circulating on social media, adding to the interest around the event.