Noida factory wages protest turns violent

Workers torch vehicles, clash with police demanding higher wages

- Biswajeet Banerjee

A protest by factory workers demanding higher wages turned violent on Monday morning in the Phase 2 industrial area of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, with incidents of arson, stone-pelting and clashes with police reported from the site.

Workers, who had been protesting for the past three days, said their demands were not being heard, triggering anger that spilled onto the streets.

Protesters pelted stones, set several vehicles, including buses, on fire and blocked key roads, disrupting traffic across nearby sectors.

Police said around 1,000 workers from companies such as Motherson, Richa Global, Rainbow, Paramount, SND and Anubhav had joined the agitation. Nearly 500 workers had gathered outside the Motherson facility where the violence broke out.

When police tried to bring the situation under control, protesters allegedly overturned a police vehicle and intensified stone-pelting. Police responded with tear gas shells. Additional force from multiple police stations was rushed to the spot.