Noida, April 16 -- Police on Thursday claimed that two social media accounts, allegedly operated from Pakistan, played a role in fuelling violence during the April 13 labour protests in Noida over demands for a minimum wage hike.
According to officials, the X accounts - "Anushi Tiwari (Proud Indian)" and "Meer Ilyas Inc" - circulated misleading claims about multiple deaths during the protest to provoke workers. Inputs later received from X indicated that both accounts were being operated from Pakistan using VPN services. An FIR has been registered at Sector 20 police station in this connection.
Police commissioner Laxmi Singh described the unrest as a "coordinated attempt" to disrupt law and order, involving both online misinformation and on-ground mobilisation. So far, 13 FIRs have been registered, and 62 accused have been sent to judicial custody. Police have not ruled out invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against some of those involved.
Police are also probing the role of a group named 'Mazdoor Bigul Dasta', whose members allegedly mobilised workers and incited violence. Police said three individuals - Rupeesh Roy, Manisha Chauhan and Aditya Anand - created multiple WhatsApp groups using QR codes, each with over 800 members, including workers from major industrial units such as Motherson and Richa Industries.
These groups were reportedly formed around 2am on April 10, shortly after Haryana announced a 35 per cent increase in minimum wages, which triggered demands for pay parity among workers in Noida.
Police said the trio had arrived in Noida on March 31 and held meetings with workers across industrial sectors. They were also present during the April 10 protests, when workers first took to the streets.
Roy and Chauhan were arrested on April 11, while Anand remains absconding. Anand, a BTech graduate from NIT Jamshedpur and a resident of Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, is suspected to have earlier mobilised protesters during the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register for Citizens (NRC). Roy, police added, was also allegedly involved in the Manesar protests preceding Haryana's wage hike decision.
Officials further said the X accounts under scrutiny were created by Yogesh, an associate of Roy, and are examining his role in the matter.
Police said investigations are ongoing to establish the full extent of the network and identify others involved in spreading misinformation and inciting unrest.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.