Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Police Probe Orchestrated Online Unrest in Noida as Centre’s Seat-Expansion Plan Triggers Southern Pushback

The twin disputes signal rising strain on policing, wages, and the country’s federal balance.

Overview

  • Following Sunday’s factory-area violence in Noida and Greater Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said Tuesday the unrest was organised online and reported about 400 arrests with seven FIRs as order returned.
  • Investigators said fake social media accounts, WhatsApp groups, and QR-code links were used to rapidly add workers to closed groups, and they are tracing funding and any outside or cross-border ties.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government announced an interim minimum-wage hike backdated to April 1, raising monthly pay in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad to ₹13,690 for unskilled, ₹15,059 for semi-skilled, and ₹16,868 for skilled workers.
  • Separately, the central government circulated draft bills on April 14 to raise Lok Sabha seats to 850 to enable 33% reservation for women from the 2029 elections, with a special Parliament session set for April 16–18.
  • Leaders from southern states, including Tamil Nadu’s M.K. Stalin and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, warned of protests and sought wider consultation, arguing that using newer census data shifts seats toward faster-growing northern states after decades of a 1971-based freeze.