DU law student held for inciting Noida unrest

Noida: A first-year Delhi University law student was arrested in connection with the April 13 industrial worker’s unrest, with police alleging that he played a key role in planning and amplifying the protest through social media networks.Yogesh Meena, originally from Rajasthan, is a former candidate for the Delhi University Students’ Union president’s post and allegedly associated with Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) and Disha Students’ Organisation.He was detained outside Ramjas College in DU’s North Campus around 1 pm on Saturday and later arrested under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 109(1) (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 326(g) (mischief by fire or explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing incidents of arson and vandalism during the protest said they have substantial digital evidence and communication records, including conversations from the day of the violence, establishing frequent contact between Meena and Anil Kumar (32), who was arrested last month under BNS sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 326(G) (mischief) in the case.In May, counsels Manik Gupta and Puja Sharma, responding to a state affidavit on the investigation into the April 13 violence and charges against Aditya Anand, an engineer, and Rupesh Roy, an auto driver and trade union activist, also arrested in the case, had identified Kumar and sub-inspector Beena, posted in Sector 142, as the two persons who had “infiltrated” the ‘Richa Global Noida’ WhatsApp group to foment trouble. They had described Kumar as a DCP’s driver. After Kumar’s arrest, additional DCP (Central Noida) Swatantra Singh, heading the SIT, clarified that Kumar was in the contractual employ of a central govt official in Delhi and had no connection with any Noida police officer.An FIR in the case names ‘Richa Global Noida’ among the eight WhatsApp and Telegram groups used to spread messages fuelling the labour agitation.“Meena was the one to spread propaganda against police, create confusion and portray Anil as the driver of a police official,” a senior officer with the SIT probing the violence said.According to police, Meena played a central role in adding Kumar to several WhatsApp groups, including ‘Richa Global Noida’, and encouraging him to circulate provocative messages, audio clips and posts designed to mobilise workers and intensify anger against authorities and industrial establishments.The DU student was also allegedly in continuous contact with two Disha Students’ Organisation members, Himanshu Thakur and Aakriti Choudhary, both previously arrested for inciting workers. Choudhary, a DU history graduate, has been booked under the National Security Act.“Meena is an active member of Disha Students’ Organization and linked with RWPI. We found his association with Thakur and Choudhary. On the day of the violence, he posted instigating messages in several groups and asked Anil to do the same,” the officer said.Police have maintained throughout that the April 13 violence was not spontaneous but the outcome of a coordinated conspiracy aimed at provoking workers and disrupting industrial activity. Police estimate that more than 100 factories suffered damage, with multiple units vandalised and more than 30 vehicles set on fire. Manufacturing operations across several facilities were suspended for days, with losses running into crores of rupees.Police subsequently registered over a dozen FIRs at Phase 2, Sector 63 and other stations, and arrested more than 50 people in the case. Besides Choudhary, a Lucknow-based translator and journalist, Satyam Verma, who writes for the periodical ‘Mazdoor Bigul’, has been booked under the National Security Act. Investigators have conducted raids across multiple districts and states to identify and apprehend those allegedly involved.Police are now examining Meena’s mobile phone, social media accounts and digital records to map the wider network behind the unrest.