By 
29-04-2026 | Dominik Miklósi | Asia Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
Indian workers organised protests with the purpose of demanding salary increases in the suburb of Noida, an important industrial area in Asia. However, some of the protesters fell victim to police actions, such as arrests and detentions, which triggered various reactions from labour unions and rights groups, calling the measures profoundly unconstitutional.
On April 13th, 2026, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the suburb of Noida, the Indian authorities used tear gas and applied physical force to factory labourers to suppress their demonstrations, primarily aimed at increasing wages. The events escalated into violence, with vehicles burning and stones being thrown across the area, which is home to thousands of industrial facilities and a significant manufacturing epicentre in Asia. According to Vinay Mahoti, a worker who participated in the protests and was interviewed by Reuters, “Duty hours should be fixed, overtime hours should be paid, and companies…should adhere to the guidelines laid by the federal government”.
The actions of the police led to the arrests and detentions of Aditya Anand, Satyam Verma, and Himanshu Thakur, protesters who allegedly instigated violence amid the labourers’ demonstrations. Despite their legal representatives’ arguments, the court found that their custody was legally valid and necessary. Beyond that, it was held that “During custody, the investigating officer (IO) will ensure that the accused undergo a medical examination at the time of taking them into police custody from the jail and at the time of their admission to the prison after police custody”.
As a response to the events involving individuals being subjected to police measures, several trade unions and civil rights groups voiced their solidarity. This included the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), which emphasised that the situation qualifies as “an attack on the constitutional right of labourers to unionise”. Hence, the IFTU filed an appeal against the earlier judicial decision to keep the protesters in custody before a higher-level court, requesting their urgent release.
The situation sparked multiple human rights concerns, including hindrance of freedom of assembly, and the potential violation of the right to liberty and security. The workers’ cases must be handled with special attention to respecting their fundamental freedoms while protecting them from any further arbitrary actions.
