From 10 to 13 April 2026, an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 contract workers in Noida's industrial belt protested for higher pay, and on 13 April the protests turned into stone-pelting, arson and tear gas. On 14 April Uttar Pradesh raised minimum wages, lifting unskilled pay from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690 a month. Police then arrested about 300 to 350 people, invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against two activists and called the unrest a pre-planned conspiracy, a case courts have repeatedly questioned at the bail stage.
Key takeaways
- From 10 to 13 April 2026 an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 contract workers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, protested for higher pay after Haryana raised its minimum wages by 35% on 9 April.
- On 13 April 2026 the Noida wage protests turned into road blockades, stone-pelting and arson, and police used tear gas and what they called "minimal force", while some protesters allege factory bouncers started the violence.
- Uttar Pradesh raised minimum wages on 14 April 2026, a day after the Noida violence, lifting unskilled pay from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690 a month.
- Police arrested about 300 to 350 people over the April 2026 Noida unrest under 14 FIRs, and invoked the National Security Act against activists Satyam Verma and Aakriti Chaudhary, who were still jailed in September 2026.
- Noida police charge sheets filed in July 2026 allege a "pre-planned conspiracy" by activists linked to the newspaper Mazdoor Bigul, while The Wire found conflicting police claims, including on whether Satyam Verma was in Noida at all.
- Noida Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh said two X handles linked to the protests were traced to Pakistan, but Decode noted the accounts used VPNs, which make such traces inconclusive, and no public evidence links the protests' organisation to Pakistan.
- An Indian Express analysis found courts granted relief in 188 of 222 bail orders in the Noida cases, repeatedly saying that simply being part of a protest was not enough to establish participation in the violence.
Background: labour codes and a wage gap
The four labour codes took effect on 21 November 2025. Ten central trade unions, including INTUC, AITUC, HMS and CITU, called a Bharat Bandh against them on 12 February 2026, also opposing the draft Seed Bill, the Electricity Amendment Bill and the repeal of MGNREGA. Organisers claimed about 300 million participants; no official estimate was found. The RSS-linked Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh stayed out and called the strike "politically motivated". Business Standard Kerala largely shut down. Statesman
The Noida trigger was local. On 9 April Haryana notified a 35% rise in minimum wages, effective 1 April. Unskilled workers in Noida earned about ₹435 a day against Haryana's revised ₹585. Walkouts began when workers in Noida's Phase 2 heard that colleagues at a Manesar plant had received a raise. Decode
Workers also complained of 12-hour shifts, forced Sunday work and no sick pay. Rahul, 25, an export clothing worker, said he earned ₹13,500 a month, paid ₹5,000 in rent and ₹4,000 on rations, leaving nothing to save. The Wire Reuters linked the cost-of-living squeeze to fuel shortages from the US-Israel war on Iran. Al Jazeera/Reuters
How it turned violent
The protests began as dharnas outside factories. On 11 April the state announced double overtime pay and timely wages, and on 12 April the district magistrate announced weekly offs, double overtime and a bonus. That night, after a review meeting in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said attempts to revive Naxalism "could be part of a larger conspiracy". The Wire
On Monday 13 April, the fourth day, workers blocked roads in the morning rush hour, including the Chilla border with Delhi, which reopened at 1:49 pm. Stones were thrown and vehicles burned in Phase 2, starting at the Hosiery Complex, and in Sectors 60, 62 and 84. A police motorbike was among the vehicles set on fire. Business Today
Police account Police used tear gas and what they called "minimal force", and denied social-media claims that they had fired on workers. DGP Rajeev Krishna said the cause was unclear and that "provocative elements" and "external elements" were being traced. Al Jazeera Claim · Protesters Some protesters allege that factory bouncers started the first violence. Decode No injury totals were published.
False On 13 April, posts on X claimed police had fired and killed 14 protesters. BOOM debunked the claim, and police filed an FIR against two handles over it. Decode
Timeline
Bharat Bandh
Ten central unions strike against the labour codes. Business Standard
Haryana raises wages 35%
The gap with UP becomes the protest's core demand. Decode
Activists picked up
Eight Mazdoor Bigul activists detained near Botanical Garden metro, per Decode. Decode
Concessions and a "Naxalism" warning
DM announces weekly offs and double overtime; CM raises conspiracy angle. The Wire
Violence in Phase 2 and sectors
Blockades, stone-pelting, arson, tear gas; 60+ detained and 7 FIRs that day. The Wire
Wage rise
Unskilled ₹13,690, semi-skilled ₹15,059, skilled ₹16,868. Newslaundry
"Traced to Pakistan"
Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh says two X handles trace to Pakistan. Decode
Charge sheets filed
Police allege a pre-planned conspiracy. The Wire
The Pakistan and Naxal claims
Claim · UP Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar He alleged a possible Pakistan link and a "well-planned conspiracy", citing no evidence. The Week
Claim · Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh On 15 April she said "technical analysis" traced two X accounts to Pakistan, that they used VPNs and had been active for three months. She also said more than 50 X accounts were created within 24 hours of the protests starting, and described WhatsApp groups called "Workers' Movement" and "Mazdoor Andolan". Decode
No evidence Decode noted that a VPN makes logs show the server's location, not the user's, so an IP trace alone does not show where a user was. It also noted those were the same handles whose "14 deaths" claim BOOM had debunked. No public evidence has linked the protests' organisation to Pakistan. Decode
The conspiracy case and the NSA
Arrest figures grew from more than 60 on 13 April to about 300 by the next day, according to The Week citing News18, and later to more than 350. The Week News Arena Police registered 14 FIRs. The Wire
Police case Charge sheets filed in July allege a "pre-planned conspiracy" by activists linked to the Revolutionary Workers Party of India and the newspaper Mazdoor Bigul, planned at a 22 March library inauguration in Karawal Nagar, Delhi. Accused include Aakriti Chaudhary, Srishti Gupta, Manisha Chauhan, Rupesh Rai, Aditya Anand, Himanshu Thakur, Yogesh Meena and journalist Satyam Verma. Police say Srishti and Himanshu confessed to planning violence and supplying stones. The NSA was invoked against Verma and Chaudhary. The Wire Newslaundry
Claim · The Wire's review The Wire found that FIR 164 places four accused at the protest on 13 April, though movement members say they were detained on 11 April. Arrest dates differ between charge sheets and remand papers. Verma's NSA application says he was in Noida on 10, 11 and 13 April, while the later charge sheet says he was not present. Many witness statements use near-identical wording. Rupesh and Aditya have petitioned the Supreme Court alleging custodial torture. The Wire
Documented An Indian Express analysis of 106 arrests found accused spent 53 days in custody on average. Across seven FIRs, courts passed 222 bail orders and granted relief in 188, repeatedly saying that "simply being part of a protest was not enough to establish participation in the violence". Newslaundry
Both accounts
Workers' and activists' account
The protest was spontaneous anger over pay. "There was no sinister plan, no WhatsApp network behind this. Workers were agitated over their pay," said advocate Vinod Bhati. AICCTU's Akash Bhattacharya called the Pakistan and Naxal framing "a dog whistle to delegitimise dissent". Decode
Police and government account
The violence was organised by an activist network using WhatsApp groups and outside elements, and police used minimal force. The CM said the state would provide "fair wages" and urged workers to be "wary of those who incite unrest". The Wire
Outcome
- Wages: UP raised minimum wages on 14 April, by about ₹2,400 a month for unskilled workers.
- Arrests: About 300 to 350 held; 14 FIRs.
- NSA: Invoked against Satyam Verma and Aakriti Chaudhary, both still jailed in September 2026. Newslaundry
- Courts: Relief in 188 of 222 bail orders.
- Pending: Trials, and custodial-torture petitions in the Supreme Court.
Questions people ask
Why did Noida workers protest in April 2026?
Mainly over pay. Haryana raised minimum wages by 35% on 9 April, leaving Noida's unskilled rate of about ₹435 a day well below Haryana's ₹585. Workers also objected to long shifts, forced Sunday work and low overtime.
Did UP raise the minimum wage after the Noida protest?
Yes. On 14 April 2026, unskilled pay rose from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690 a month, semi-skilled to ₹15,059 and skilled to ₹16,868.
Was Pakistan behind the Noida protest?
No public evidence shows that. Police said two X handles were traced to Pakistan, but the accounts used VPNs, which make such traces inconclusive. Those handles spread a false "14 deaths" claim; they did not organise the protest.
How many people were arrested?
Reports range from more than 60 on the first day to about 350 overall, under 14 FIRs. Courts granted relief in 188 of 222 bail orders.
Who are Satyam Verma and Aakriti Chaudhary?
Two activists charged in the conspiracy case and detained under the NSA. Verma is a journalist and activist. The Wire found conflicting police claims about whether he was in Noida at all.
Sources
- Business Standard: Nationwide strike against labour codes, 11 Feb 2026
- Statesman: Bharat Bandh today, Kerala shuts down, 12 Feb 2026
- Decode: Noida protests, wage anger, WhatsApp trails and a Pakistan theory, 22 Apr 2026
- The Wire: Workers' protests turn violent in Noida, Apr 2026
- Al Jazeera/Reuters: Tear gas fired at Indian workers demanding higher wage, 13 Apr 2026
- Business Today: Noida wage rage, vehicles torched, stones pelted, 13 Apr 2026
- The Week: Noida unrest, UP police probing potential Pakistan links, 14 Apr 2026
- News Arena: Noida violence, 350 nabbed, Apr 2026
- The Wire: UP police conspiracy theory riddled with discrepancies, charge sheets show, 1 Sep 2026
- Newslaundry: Anatomy of a 'conspiracy', 10 Sep 2026