Mastermind of Noida violence held
In a major breakthrough, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police and Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) have arrested Aditya Anand, the alleged mastermind behind the violent workers’ protests that rocked Noida’s industrial areas earlier this month.
Anand was apprehended on Saturday at Tiruchirappalli Railway Station in Tamil Nadu, ending a high-stakes manhunt that spanned multiple states.
According to police officials, Anand had been absconding since the protests turned violent on April 13-14.
A non-bailable warrant was issued against him at the Phase-2 police station, and a Rs 1 lakh reward had been announced for information leading to his arrest. He was carrying the reward on his head and had reportedly altered his appearance, cutting his hair and beard before fleeing.
Aditya Anand, a BTech graduate from NIT Jamshedpur, has been described by investigators as the key conspirator. Linked to the labour organisation Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, he is accused of orchestrating provocative activities, creating multiple WhatsApp groups using QR codes to mobilise thousands of workers, and delivering inflammatory speeches that incited violence during labour sit-ins and demonstrations in Noida’s Phase-2 industrial area. Police say the unrest was a pre-planned conspiracy, with Anand and associates arriving in the district between March 31 and April 1.
According to Commissioner Laxmi Singh, movement within Noida was coordinated on March 31 and April 1; subsequently, on April 9 and 10, WhatsApp groups were created by sending QR codes.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Shaivya Goyal said more than 80 WhatsApp groups were created within three days before the workers’ protest. According to Goyal, these workers did not discuss the workers’ actual demands, such as wage increases and improving workers’ conditions. Instead, messages were being circulated about inciting workers, mobilising mobs and vandalising factories.
The protests, which drew 40,000-45,000 workers across more than 80 industrial locations in sectors such as Phase-2, Sector 60, 62, and 84, were triggered by long-standing grievances over low wages and exploitation. Workers demanded parity with neighbouring Haryana, which had announced a 35 per cent minimum wage hike in early April.
In response, the Uttar Pradesh Labour Department constituted a high-level committee that recommended and implemented a 21 per cent wage revision across 74 scheduled employments in Gautama Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad. The hike, effective retrospectively from April 1, 2026, is scheduled to be paid between May 7 and 10.
For instance, skilled workers saw their monthly wages rise from Rs 13,940 to Rs 16,668. Additional measures announced include mandatory overtime at double the rate, no unauthorised deductions, strict enforcement of weekly offs and bonuses and immediate action against violators.