Hyderabad: Trade union leaders and human rights activists in Hyderabad on Saturday, April 25, condemned the Uttar Pradesh government and police over the arrest of several activists, journalists and students in connection with the Noida workers’ protest, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
The condemnation came at a round-table meeting organised by the People Against State Repression forum at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Baghlingampally.
Among those arrested are senior journalist Satyam Verma, labour activists Rupesh and Aditya Anand, students Himanshu and Aakriti, artist Srishti, and factory worker Manisha, all of whom, the forum said, were detained solely for expressing solidarity with workers demanding wage hikes.
Speakers at the meeting pointed to a key contradiction in the police’s account. While authorities have accused the activists of instigating violence that erupted on April 13, all of them had in fact been arrested on April 11, two days prior, and had reportedly appealed to workers to maintain peace.
Jeevan Kumar of the Human Rights Forum said the growing support for the Noida labour movement among youth and Gen Z was a new and significant development. He criticised the state’s attempt to brand activists as anti-nationals, noting a shift in official terminology from “urban naxal” to newer labels such as “legal Maoism.”
Padma, leader of the Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI), demanded the immediate release of all detained individuals, warning that civil society would escalate its response if the government continued to suppress protests and ignore wage-related grievances.
Abbas from Awaaz TV alleged that certain media outlets were projecting activists as terrorists to divert public attention from the issue of starvation wages, while Ravi Kanneganti of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TPJAC) called upon local civil society to take up the cause of contract and informal sector workers in areas such as Patancheru.
The meeting, which was also attended by advocate Suresh, labour advocate Dasarath, M Srinivas from International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), Balraj from All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), and several other union leaders, passed a formal resolution listing four key demands – unconditional withdrawal of all cases filed against workers, activists and journalists, immediate release of those in custody with access to medical and legal assistance, a high-level judicial inquiry into alleged police excesses and a wage increase for workers to Rs 30,000 per month, along with double wages for overtime and improved working conditions.
