Keen to do social work, simply sought fair wage: Brother of main accused in Noida workers’ protest case

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Written by: Upasika Singhal4 min readNew DelhiApr 21, 2026 06:40 AM IST Aditya Anand Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT The last time Aditya Anand, a BTech graduate from NIT Jamshedpur, called home was over a week ago. It was a seemingly regular conversation between two brothers — Aditya asked after their mother’s health, enquired how things were at home and discussed what had to be bought. The next time Akash Anand heard about his brother was on social media – as the main accused who allegedly led the Noida workers’ protest that turned violent last week. “His pictures were circulating online and people were saying he was absconding. Then the calls from TV channels began pouring in,” Akash told The Indian Express. The Noida Police has alleged that Aditya used WhatsApp groups to instigate violence during the protest and booked him on charges of rioting, criminal intimidation, provoking breach of peace and criminal conspiracy, among others. On April 18, a joint team of Noida Police and Uttar Pradesh STF had arrested him from Tiruchirappalli railway station in Tamil Nadu. Anand’s lawyers told The Indian Express that they are yet to receive his remand papers seeking custody. They claimed that the police are likely to seek to extend the period of his judicial custody in the next hearing on Tuesday. Aditya, who first left home to attend NIT Jamshedpur, was not politically active on the campus, Anand said. But he continued to do social work. Around 2019, while working in a corporate office as a software developer in Gurgaon, Anand became involved with Mazdoor Bigul, which, according to its website, is a Left-wing periodical and organisation focused on informing urban labourers about their rights. “Aditya always looked for an organisation to volunteer wherever he went,” said Akash. The family said that while they were aware Aditya was interested in social work, they did not know that he was so deeply involved. “When he spoke about his work, he mostly just told us about how he wished to teach the underprivileged children in Noida. We got to know about his arrest (in Tamil Nadu) only after my mother received a call from his friends,” he added. Anand emphasised that his younger brother could never incite violence. “He always had a humanistic approach to everyone. We even have video evidence of Aditya pleading with workers to protest in a peaceful manner, but no one is ready to listen to us,” he said. On Sunday, senior lawyers and activists had addressed a press conference saying that Aditya repeatedly posted video messages on WhatsApp, urging the workers to maintain peace. The developments have taken a heavy toll on their mother. “She knows Aditya would never incite violence. But we were surprised by the extreme backlash. He was simply demanding a fair wage for the labourers. Is that so wrong?” asked Anand. He said he wished to come to Delhi to support Aditya but decided to stay back in Bihar as his mother’s health deteriorated. Anand described Aditya as empathetic. “From a young age, he would teach underprivileged children. He’s the kind of person who would offer you the one shawl he has if he saw you feeling cold. He could never see anyone in discomfort.” “He never had any political influence. I think from childhood, he saw our father teaching students and helping people and inculcated that into his worldview,” said Akash, adding that both their parents taught in private schools. The four brothers lost their father in 2024 to kidney failure. “We are a lower middle class family living in Hajipur (Vaishali district). My mother had to quit her job to take care of our father. All of us have grown up being aware of our surroundings. We have seen poverty while growing up and noticed societal discrepancies,” said Anand. Two more men — Rupesh Rai and Manisha Chauhan — have also been arrested in the case. Further, police have identified two X handles operating from Pakistan that allegedly spread misleading information regarding the workers’ unrest. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram