Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday stopped a 10-member Samajwadi Party delegation led by Leader of Opposition in the UP Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey at the DND Flyway as it headed to meet protesting factory workers in Noida.

Delegations from the Samajwadi Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) later staged a sit-in on the DND Flyway after being denied entry into Noida.

Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, alleged 'injustice' against factory workers in Noida and said a lathi charge was carried out after the government ignored their wage demands.

He said that he had flagged the issue earlier, but no action was taken. He further alleged the prolonged exploitation of labourers.

While speaking to reporters, Pandey said, 'I came here along with this delegation. There was a lathi charge here. Injustice has been done against the workers. They were protesting because they were not getting their full wages. I even drew the attention of the government to this matter, but the government did nothing about it. The labour commissioner and labour inspector here should have looked into the problems of the workers and resolved them. This government was sleeping. When the situation got worse, they resorted to a lathi charge.'

Pandey further alleged that the labour department, including the Labour Commissioner and Labour Inspector, failed to intervene or resolve the grievances of workers, which allowed the situation to escalate.

'The labourers from the companies here had been subjected to exploitation for a long time; they were raising their voices and staging sit-ins to protest against this exploitation. Neither the administration paid any heed, nor did the appointed Labour Commissioner or the Labour Inspector take any action against their exploitation. When the government failed to take notice, the situation escalated to such an extent that they resorted to a lathi-charge,' he added.

On questions about an alleged Pakistan link to the Noida violence, Pandey said he had no information.

'I have no knowledge regarding that aspect. If the government is convinced of a Pakistan connection, then let them fight against Pakistan; why are they creating obstructions here? Let them apprehend the Pakistanis and punish them. We have not come here to obstruct anything; we have merely come to inquire about the well-being of those who have suffered injustice... Let us see where the police take us and what they do,' Pandey stated.

Additionally, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby stated there was no official confirmation on the status of 400 workers and a CITU district secretary arrested during the factory workers' protest in Noida.

He claimed that while the administration stated all detainees had been released, there had been no confirmation from their side. Baby further alleged that police used force against workers, including female labourers, and demanded an inquiry into the incident.

The CPI-M leader also said that repeated attempts by union representatives to meet the District Magistrate (DM) were unsuccessful. According to him, senior CITU leaders, including the General Secretary and All-India President, were denied an appointment, and subsequent requests by the state leadership were also turned down.

Stating that the authorities had been informed in advance about their visit, Baby alleged that they were still prevented from proceeding.

While speaking to reporters, MA Baby said, 'We have received no information regarding the arrest of our CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) District Secretary, Ram Swarat. 400 workers have been arrested. They claimed that everyone had been released, but we have received no such confirmation. The police launched an assault on female workers; an inquiry must be conducted into this incident. We submitted a request to meet with the District Magistrate (DM). Two days ago, the CITU General Secretary and the CITU All-India President sought to meet the DM, but they were denied the opportunity. Our CITU State Secretary contacted the DM's office to request an appointment, but was turned down. We had duly informed the authorities of our visit, yet we have been stopped here. If a satisfactory resolution is not reached soon, we will initiate a 'sit-in' protest here, and workers from all over will join us. It would be best if the administration responded to this matter in a democratic and people-oriented manner. Otherwise, we know what to do; we are people who are accustomed to advancing through struggle, and we will decide our next course of action.'

Earlier this week, a protest by labourers over minimum wage demands turned violent on Monday, with stone-pelting and vehicles set on fire following an altercation with the police.

However, Noida Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh said the workers' protest across Gautam Buddha Nagar remained largely peaceful, with only two of the 83 sites turning violent, as a high-level government committee announced an interim wage hike and the formation of a wage board to address workers' concerns.

Furthermore, she expressed her gratitude towards Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the wage hike approved for various categories of workers, raising their pay to a range of Rs 13,690 to Rs 16,868.

Earlier on Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna declared that the situation in Noida has returned to 'absolute normalcy' following a wave of violent worker protests.

The breakthrough comes after a high-powered committee, formed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, announced a significant interim hike in minimum wages for industrial workers in the region.

The state government has approved a 21% increase in minimum wages for workers in Noida and Ghaziabad, effective from April 1, 2026. This move follows a day of intense unrest on Monday, where thousands of factory workers took to the streets demanding better pay amidst rising living costs. (ANI)