Tensions Escalate as Samajwadi Party's Noida Visit Blocked Amid Factory Worker Protests

A tense standoff unfolded on Friday as the Uttar Pradesh police stopped a delegation from the Samajwadi Party, led by Opposition Leader Mata Prasad Pandey, at the DND Flyway, preventing them from entering Noida. The delegation sought to address grievances of factory workers who have been rallying against wage disputes and alleged exploitation.

Pandey raised allegations of a forceful lathi charge on workers, claiming longstanding negligence from authorities regarding their demands for fair wages. He criticized the Labour Commission's inaction and the subsequent police aggression, emphasizing repeated but ignored warnings about the workers' conditions.

Amid swirling accusations, CPI(M) officials, including MA Baby, demanded clarity on the detention of several workers during protests, decrying police violence, especially against women. Meanwhile, Noida Police maintained that recent unrest was contained and commended Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's intervention to increase minimum wages, aiming to quell worker unrest for future stability.

(With inputs from agencies.)