Stopped from meeting protesting workers, families in Noida, claim Opposition parties

“Another delegation of the CPIM had come to meet the workers,” a senior police officer said.

The CPI(M) delegation held a sit-in in front of Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate’s house in Sector 27, protesting against the authorities as the members claimed they were not allowed to meet the families of detained leaders of the workers’ strike.

Speaking to The Indian Express, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas said: “Our delegation of CPI(M), including senior leader MA Baby, myself and some other leaders were there. We did a demonstration at the DM office on the issues related to workers, and returned.”

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was detained by police from outside the District Magistrate office on Friday morning when it had gone to submit a memorandum regarding the demands for the workers in Noida.

Speaking to The Indian Express after being released on Friday evening, P V Aniyan, CITU General Secretary (Delhi State Committee), said that a delegation of CTU office bearers were detained by police from outside the District Magistrate’s office. “We had gone there as some members of the CPI(M) were also coming to submit a memorandum to the DM. Our delegation, including me, were detained without any provocation and were taken to an unknown place where we were kept for around five hours. The police officers questioned us. Then, when other members of our delegation managed to meet some officials at the DM office, they complained about our detention and were released,” said Aniyan.

The CITU office bearer added that the UP government can’t implement the four labour codes through the use of police force. “If the workers’ demands are not met, we will continue the agitation,” he said.

On the other hand, Pandey, while speaking with this newspaper, said, “Our national president (Akhilesh Yadav) had formed a delegation to meet the workers and know of their plight, but we were stopped by the police. They alleged our visit would make the situation tense. We were taken to the Police Lines, where Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh briefed us about the situation, claiming that those arrested are not labourers but notorious outsider elements.”

He questioned, “When we asked the police to give us a list of who is and isn’t a labourer in this case, they failed to present it… We came to a conclusion that the government machinery was not working efficiently and it is their lackadaisical attitude towards workers which led to the situation… If labourers are not getting wages, how did the Labour Inspector and Labour Commissioner not know about it and intervene?”

Pandey said the delegation will return to Lucknow and present a detailed report to Akhilesh on Saturday.

The SP, on its X handle, also condemned the police action. “It is highly condemnable that the delegation to meet aggrieved workers and understand their problems, has been stopped by CM Yogi’s police. This government does not believe in democratic norms; the Samajwadi Party stands with the workers in this ongoing struggle for increasing their wages at every step,” it wrote.