Noida: Workers’ groups and activists on Tuesday held demonstrations in Delhi, Hyderabad, Vizag, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai, Vijayawada and other cities, demanding the release of industrial workers and supporters who were arrested after the Noida labour protest and have been lodged in jail for four months.In Delhi, police did not allow Campaign for the Release of Workers and Activists of Noida (CaRWAN) group to hold their protest at Jantar Mantar, citing “threat to law and order”. The group later held their demonstration outside the barricades of Jantar Mantar. Apart from their release, the protesters also demanded the withdrawal of FIRs registered against all workers and activists.Student activist Chiranshu questioned how Delhi Police could allow UP Police in plain clothes to detain students and put them behind bars for voicing their support for the protesting labourers.Jailed activist Aditya Anand’s brother and a petitioner in Supreme Court against alleged illegal detentions Keshaw Anand said that hundreds are being punished through legal procedures only for asking for their rights. “The charges levelled against the workers and activists in the Noida case are not only baseless but also unconstitutional. It now seems that protesting, striking, and demanding minimum wages as per law has become a crime,” he said.Students and activists in Hyderabad underlined the need for a united voice against repression. “The NEET protest succeeded because of mass participation, whereas the matter of Noida workers and activists remains confined to one particular area. That makes its repression easier,” said Sreeja, a student activist and member of CaRWAN.
A protester in Hyderabad said the NEET protest was successful because it was not confined to a specific area and students all over the country supported the movement
She said that the students have been trying to create awareness among the working class and other concerned citizens about the unlawful detentions in connection with the Noida industrial workers’ protest. Raising slogans to free all political prisoners and for the withdrawal of the cases, the activists said that the playbook of police has remained the same in every part of the country when it comes to repression of voices of dissent.Varuni, a student activist who led the demonstrations at the Buddha Smriti Park in Patna, addressed the protesters and explained to the public there how NSA was imposed on two people for raising voice in support of labourers who were demanding minimum wages. “For one incident, UP Police have lodged 11 cases against the activists and students. Even if they are released by court in the false cases, the process will take months or even years to complete,” she said.Similar protests were held near the collector office in Pune and Azad Maidan in Mumbai, where students led the protests and made efforts to garner support for the industrial workers and activists supporting them.
