The Uttar Pradesh police crackdown in connection with the workers’ protest in Noida, which saw incidents of violence on April 13, was “illegal” and “extrajudicial”, with those arrested denied their legal rights and lawyers who went to meet them also detained, activists and advocates alleged at a media briefing at the Press Club of India in the Capital on Sunday.
Why Noida’s factory unrest is more than just about minimum wages
On April 13, the workers’ protest, primarily driven by demands for higher wages and improved working conditions, also witnessed incidents of vandalism, following which the police apprehended over 350 workers, alleging that “external elements” were fuelling the violence through social media.
Costs and wages: Editorial on the Noida labour unrest
Two days later, the police said “at least 45 of the 66 people arrested in Noida were not workers but associated with political parties and even had links with Pakistan”.
