A significant protest by factory workers in Noida escalated into violence on Monday, as agitators began vandalising vehicles and pelting stones while police struggled to restore order. Footage from the scene in Noida’s Phase 2 — a major industrial hub — showed protesters smashing a police van and several other vehicles. The trouble is because of the demand for a significant hike in salaries and welfare facilities, and therefore, authorities have taken measures to dispatch additional forces so that more damage does not take place.
The unrest also triggered severe traffic chaos at the Delhi-Noida border, with key arterial routes, including the DND Flyway, witnessing massive congestion during peak office hours.
Long queues of vehicles stretched for kilometres, leaving commuters stranded for hours as protestors blocked stretches of the roadway.
The protests came after the Haryana government increased the minimum wages for the unskilled workforce by 35 per cent from ₹11,274 to ₹15,220. Workers in nearby Noida feel exploited since they earn less money for performing the same work on the other side of the border. Other than the wage issues, workers are concerned about safety in the workplace, the absence of weekly offs, and lack of means to register their complaints.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, has come forward and said that workers have to be treated equally, but violence would not be tolerated. He has directed officials to take firm action against "anti-social elements" accused of instigating the workforce. The Chief Minister emphasised that every labourer deserves a respectable wage and a safe environment, but he also cautioned against what he described as a "conspiracy" to revive left-wing extremism under the guise of industrial unrest.
Noida police confirmed that senior officers are currently on-site, monitoring the situation and attempting to negotiate with the workers. Officials maintained that they are using minimal force to contain the crowd and urged the public to ignore inflammatory rumours circulating on social media. Meanwhile, the state labour department has been tasked with mediating between industrial units and local authorities to find a resolution to the standoff.
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