Noida protest fallout: Workers face acute financial distress, unemployment months later

Four months after the April 13 protest in Noida over wages and working conditions, many workers and activists who participated say they are still struggling to recover financially. Those arrested during the police action report depleted savings, mounting legal costs, and persistent difficulty in finding employment.

The financial burden includes expenses for securing bail, obtaining legal documents, and pursuing court cases. For some, these costs have crossed several lakh rupees. Workers say the process has also led to loss of wages due to repeated court appearances and travel.

Numerous workers spent money on drafting and filing court applications, affidavits, notarisation, certified copies, photocopying, and repeated trips to the Surajpur court for hearings. Family members often had to travel between Delhi, the Surajpur court, the Allahabad High Court, and their hometowns to complete verification formalities needed for bail and release.

Manjeet (name changed), a 25-year-old trainee supervisor at a garment manufacturing company, was detained five days after the protest turned violent. Even a month after his release, he said he has been unable to find work. “Having lost my job since I was arrested, I lacked the confidence to apply anywhere. After my friends insisted, I went for a couple of interviews but did not get any response,” he said.

According to Manjeet, his uncle spent at least ₹15,000–20,000 only on paperwork. This was despite lawyers handling his case pro bono. He noted that many others with multiple FIRs did not have lawyers offering free services.

Karan (name changed), an e-rickshaw driver, was picked up on the night of April 13 after parking his vehicle for the day. His uncle said he had spent over ₹2.5 lakh on Karan’s bail and release. “Four days after the protest, the police registered another case against him under the same Sections but at a different police station,” the uncle added. The expenses included legal costs, travel, four months of room rent, and the EMI for the e-rickshaw.

Naman’s (name changed) father, whose son worked at a textile factory, said he had spent at least ₹27,500, excluding travel and food. “I also lost several days of work while trying to get my son released from jail,” he said. He added that their lawyer charged only ₹5,100, but they heard of others who took ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 for a single hearing and then disappeared.

Keshav Anand, brother of activist Aditya Anand, said legal expenses for activists facing at least 10 FIRs had already run into lakhs. “For all eight activists, we have already spent around ₹7–10 lakh. This is despite senior lawyers fighting our cases pro bono, despite two of them facing charges under the National Security Act. Most of the money has come through crowdfunding by friends and families, while some has been arranged through loans,” he said.

Anand added that family members have been travelling repeatedly between Delhi, Surajpur, and the Allahabad High Court to file vakalatnamas, submit bail applications, and attend hearings. The financial and emotional toll on the workers and their families remains severe, with many still uncertain about their future.