New Delhi, A delegation of CPI leaders staged sit-in protests twice in Noida on Friday, after they were stopped from meeting families of workers detained following agitations earlier this week.
The delegation, led by Communist Party of India general secretary M A Baby, reached Noida on Friday morning, days after protests demanding fair wages and better working conditions turned violent, leading to a police crackdown and arrests.
However, police initially stopped them at the Delhi-Noida border, citing a “tense situation” and denying permission for “political persons” to proceed. The leaders then held a roadside sit-in, without blocking traffic.
“We had two bouts of sit-ins. First, when we were stopped at the Noida border by the additional commissioner, they said the DM cannot meet you, the situation is tense and we cannot allow political people to go any further,” Baby told PTI.
Baby was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Amra Ram, Rajya Sabha MPs V Sivadasan, A A Rahim and the party’s Politburo member Arun Kumar. They were later joined by Delhi CPI leaders Anurag Saxena and Pushpendra Tyagi as well as Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas.
Baby said police then assured them that the district magistrate would meet them, but they were taken to a police camp instead.
“We waited there, thinking the DM was coming, but it was a devious method to end our agitation,” he said.
The delegation was subsequently informed that DM Medha Roopam was available at her “camp office”.
“We went there at her request, but again she was unavailable, citing another meeting,” Baby said.
He said during the day, two Delhi CITU leaders P V Aniyan and Virendra Gaur were “picked up” from outside the DM’s residence and their phones were unreachable, with authorities initially denying any detention.
Calling the situation “too much”, the delegation then proceeded to the DM’s Sector-27 residence and staged the second sit-in protest.
Senior officials, including top police officers and the additional district magistrate, reached the spot and held discussions with the Left leaders. The delegation demanded a direct interaction with the DM, even via video-conferencing, and sought the immediate release of the detained trade union leaders.
“After our intervention, they were brought before us and released. Only after seeing them did we decide to withdraw the protest,” Baby said, terming the outcome a “partial success”.
He added that the DM has assured them that “illegal arrests will not continue” and that those already in jail would be released on bail at the earliest. However, broader issues concerning workers’ demands remain unresolved, he added.
Earlier, the CPI had alleged “undemocratic actions” by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that its leaders were prevented from meeting the families of the detained workers and those allegedly “brutally beaten” during the protests in Noida.
In a post on X, Brittas highlighted wage concerns, saying workers in Noida’s industrial hub do not even earn a minimum wage of ₹450 a day.
“Workers in Noida are on the streets fighting for their survival,” he said, alleging that instead of dialogue, the Uttar Pradesh government is using police force to suppress protests. He also called for an immediate and “dignified” wage hike.
The protest comes in the backdrop of a large-scale workers’ agitation earlier this week in Noida, where thousands of factory workers, including women, went on strike demanding a wage hike and better working conditions.
The agitation turned violent in parts, with incidents of arson, stone-pelting and vandalism reported.
Police have maintained that only “mild force” was used to bring the situation under control, though their handling of the protests has drawn criticism.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.