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Noida workers’ protest: Two RJD spokespersons booked for sharing ‘misleading’ video

FIR registered against Priyanka Bharti and Dr Kanchan Yadav for allegedly sharing footage from Madhya Pradesh as a Noida worker strike.

4 min readNoidaUpdated: Apr 15, 2026 09:21 PM IST

A total of six FIRs have been registered at several police stations against those involved in inciting Monday’s violence. (Express Photo)

Two national spokespersons of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have been booked for allegedly sharing a misleading video on X, with captions, falsely linking it to the Noida workers’ protest, police said on Wednesday.

Also, another FIR has been registered against two more X handles on charges of disrupting peace and the law and order situation. With this, seven FIRs have been lodged in connection to Monday’s violence, police said.

The FIR against RJD’s Priyanka Bharti and Dr Kanchana Yadav was filed on Tuesday following a complaint moved by Sub-Inspector Susheel Kumar of the Media Cell, Commissionerate, Gautam Buddha Nagar.

“Bharti shared a video, which was actually recorded on April 11, 2026, in the Budhar police station area of Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh, showing a youth creating a disturbance in an inebriated state. Both accused allegedly broadcast this footage electronically, falsely presenting it as a Noida incident,” the FIR said.

“Bharti’s post carried a caption, suggesting that employees in Noida were on strike and that the government was crushing their legitimate demands. Yadav’s post described the video as originating from Noida, alleging that ‘Godi media’ was manufacturing a Pakistan connection for the workers’ movement while Noida police was assaulting them,” it alleged.

The FIR added that the posts created an atmosphere of fear and mistrust in Noida, affecting law and order.

The case has been registered under Section 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to statements conducing to public mischief, and under Sections 66 and 66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, which deal with computer-related offences and cheating by personation using a computer resource.

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While Bharti has around 95.9K followers on X, Yadav has 65.6k followers.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bharti said the “case is politically motivated”. “I had shared a video in which a policeman was beating up a person. It was shared on social media as a video from Noida and I reposted it and said that the policeman should face action. Later, I found out it was a video from Madhya Pradesh. So, I deleted my post and even reposted the UP Police post, which clarified that what I had posted was not true.”

Meanwhile, in an FIR lodged at Noida’s Sector 20 police station on Monday, X handles of Mir Ilyas and Anushi Tiwari have been accused of inciting people who later attacked police personnel, damaged vehicles and disrupted traffic.

“They posted that 14 people died and 32 were injured in the clash (with) UP Police. Both handles seem to be associated with political parties. The result of the post was such that in several areas of Noida, people got angry and scared and began abusing and pelting stones and injuring company workers. People blocked the traffic, damaged properties and attacked policemen. More than 50 bots were created to manufacture a narrative,” the FIR said.

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On Tuesday, Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh had said that 396 people, including four women, were arrested for Monday’s protests. By Tuesday afternoon, two FIRs had been lodged at the Cyber police station and five others at Sector 58, Phase 1 and Sector 20 police stations against over 1,700 labourers. Fifteen of them have been named, and accused of damaging state property and pelting stones at police personnel.

At the Sector 58 police station alone, 1,200 labourers were booked for damaging police barricades put up between Sector 59 and Sector 62 Metro stations. “They pushed policemen on duty and blocked the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, abused commuters and damaged their vehicles,” the FIR said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that “external elements should not be allowed to interfere in the internal matters of a group or factory”. Underlining that organisations must safeguard their internal cohesion, he said, “There are many who disrupt, but very few who build.” He urged employees to strengthen unity, trust and a positive work culture.

This comes a day after Uttar Pradesh DGP Rajeev Krishna said that electronic and CCTV evidence had emerged, pointing to the role of certain individuals and groups in instigating violence.

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Speaking to The Indian Express, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Vivek Ranjan Rai said that for now, the priority was to ensure law and order in the district. “The focus is on law and order and the next step would be decided afterwards. We have registered FIRs, the investigating officer has begun probing them,” he added.

Neetika Jha

Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in the Noida bureau. She primarily covers crime, health, and environmental issues, as well as human-interest features across Noida, Ghaziabad, and Western Uttar Pradesh. Professional Profile Education: She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Core Beat: Her work focuses on the administrative and social challenges of the NCR's satellite cities. She is known for her detailed reporting on civic infrastructure (like the Noida International Airport), environmental violations, and high-profile criminal investigations. Personal Interests: Outside of reporting, she is an avid reader of fiction (citing The Thursday Murder Club and Yellowface as recent favorites) and a gardening enthusiast. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Neetika’s recent reportage has been dominated by winter-related crises in the NCR and significant criminal legalities: 1. Environment & Public Safety "Greater Noida Authority slaps fines on firms for violating GRAP IV norms" (Dec 21, 2025): Reporting on heavy penalties imposed on major developers like NBCC for flouting anti-pollution construction bans. "Fatal pile-up on Yamuna Expressway: Fog, high speed emerge as key safety risks" (Dec 17, 2025): A major report on a 15-vehicle collision caused by dense fog that killed 17 people. "At Chilla, Kalindi, DND, many fined Rs 20,000 for non-compliance to Delhi's BS-VI rule" (Dec 19, 2025): On-the-ground reporting from the borders where Noida police penalize non-compliant vehicles entering the capital. "Driving in Noida amid fog? New speed limits in effect till Feb 15" (Dec 13, 2025): Detailing the seasonal traffic restrictions aimed at preventing highway accidents. 2. Crime & Legal Developments "'Have you ever heard of a murder case being withdrawn?': Court in Akhlaq lynching case" (Dec 12, 2025): Covering a critical courtroom hearing where the court questioned the UP government's petition to withdraw charges against the accused. "After losing money in stock market, bank employee in Ghaziabad withdraws Rs 64 lakh from customers' accounts" (Dec 14, 2025): An investigative piece on internal bank fraud and the risks of modern digital embezzlement. "Woman shot dead by partner in Noida: Three days on, accused still on the run" (Dec 2, 2025): Tracking a high-profile domestic violence and murder case in Central Noida. 3. Human Interest & Features "'Had tears in my eyes': Army men walk bride down the aisle 20 years after father died in terror attack" (Dec 2, 2025): A moving story about soldiers from a Punjab Grenadiers unit fulfilling a father's duty for his daughter. "How a Zepto delivery man heard a cry — and saved two kids dumped in Noida drain" (Dec 2025): A viral human-interest story highlighting individual heroism in the city. Signature Style Neetika is recognized for her meticulous follow-up on local tragedies. Whether it is a massive pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway or the ongoing construction of the Jewar (Noida) Airport, she focuses on systemic lapses and the safety of commuters. Her crime reporting often explores the psychological motives behind "crimes of passion" and the rising trend of financial cyber-fraud in the Ghaziabad-Noida belt. ... Read More

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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