Police fire tear gas as workers’ protest in India’s Noida turns violent

NOIDA: Police lobbed tear gas shells and used “minimum force” on Monday to quell a factory workers’ protest in the Indian national capital’s suburb of Noida, which turned violent on its fourth day, with vehicles torched and stones pelted in parts of the satellite city.

Noida is among the largest planned industrial townships of Asia and houses thousands of industrial units.

Living costs across the world have risen as the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran curbed fuel supplies. Similar protests in the auto-making state of Haryana last week led to the government ordering a 35% hike in minimum wages.

Vinay Mahoti, 30, who hails from the eastern state of Bihar and works at a hosiery company in Noida, said he initially protested inside his manufacturing unit but later joined workers from other companies who took to the streets.

“Duty hours should be fixed, overtime hours should be paid, and companies…should adhere to the guidelines laid by the federal government,” he said, listing his demands.

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Visuals from news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, showed dozens of protesters marching on the street and chanting slogans, while security personnel in anti-riot gear looked on.

Other visuals showed an overturned vehicle with flames rising out of it, and protesters hurling stones and trying to break through barricades.

Local police said “minimum force” was being used to maintain law and order, while Narendra Kashyap, a lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh state, where Noida is located, called on protesters to discuss their demands with the government.

“Senior police and administrative officials are making persistent efforts to counsel the workers and urge them to maintain peace and restraint,” Gautam Budh Nagar police said in a statement.