New Delhi: On the afternoon of May 30, Yogesh Meena, a Delhi University student, was walking past Ramjas College with his friend Sameer when a vehicle pulled up beside them. The occupants – some in plainclothes and others in police uniforms – called out Yogesh’s name, and subsequently forced both of them into the vehicle without showing any warrant, arrest memo, or identification cards. Sameer was released a few hours later, while Yogesh was taken away by the UP Police.Sameer, 18, is a first-year student at Ramjas College and a native of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. In his complaint to the Delhi Police on June 1, he said that while being forced into the vehicle, they were told there was a complaint against them and so they were being taken in for questioning. Sameer’s complaint was sent via email to the SHO of Maurice Nagar, the DCP of Civil Lines, and the Delhi Police Commissioner.According to Sameer, the vehicle was driven first to the Mukherjee Nagar police station, then to the Maurice Nagar police station, and later towards the Noida border. For approximately two to three hours, he and Yogesh were interrogated inside the vehicle and subjected to intimidation. Sameer was eventually dropped off near the Maurice Nagar police station, while the UP Police took Yogesh away.This action is reportedly part of the measures being taken by the Uttar Pradesh Police following the protests staged by workers in Noida in mid-April. Newspapers such as Dainik Bhaskar and Hindustan confirmed Yogesh’s arrest, citing police sources. Additionally, the remand sheet issued by the police revealed that the magistrate had ordered Yogesh to be sent to judicial custody for 14 days. However, no information regarding this had been disclosed initially.Yogesh, 23, completed his bachelor’s degree from the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce. Currently, he is a second-year law student at Delhi University’s Faculty of Law. His friends said that due to his arrest he would be unable to sit for the examinations that are currently underway.On June 4, an application was filed on Yogesh’s behalf before the magistrate at the Gautam Buddh Nagar court, seeking a directive to the jail administration to provide him with study materials and resources related to his exams. The application stated that Yogesh is an LLB student whose semester examinations are in progress, with papers scheduled for June 5 and June 11.According to the petition, he had already taken one exam prior to his arrest but was subsequently remanded to judicial custody.The application requested the court to ensure he was provided with his books, class notes, stationery, and other study materials, and to issue necessary instructions to the jail superintendent allowing him to appear for the remaining university examinations.Magistrate R.K. Sagar signed the application with the note: “The jail superintendent should take necessary action in accordance with the rules.”However, Yogesh’s associates informed The Wire Hindi that he was not permitted to take the exam scheduled for June 5.The petition filed seeking permission for Yogesh to take the exam. It bears the magistrate’s signature, directing the jail superintendent to take appropriate action.According to the remand sheet, a case has been registered against Yogesh at the Noida Phase-2 police station under FIR number 169/2026.Yogesh’s friends claimed that the sole basis for his arrest is a WhatsApp group and that several other activists who were part of this group are also currently under arrest. Yogesh was a member of the group named ‘Richa Global’. The police claimed that this group was central in hatching a conspiracy to incite violence during the protests held in April.Ploy of calling the movement a ‘conspiracy’During the labour movement in Noida in the month of April, the factory workers of Noida began protests demanding an increase in wages, better working conditions and labour rights. Violence broke out during the demonstration on April 13. The protesters had alleged that the police used force without provocation, while the police said that the crowd had turned violent and action had to be taken to control the situation.The police is now taking action in this case by levelling allegations of ‘conspiracy’, ‘violence’ and ‘mastermind’ of violence. The police claim that ‘the violence that took place during the labour movement was part of a well-planned conspiracy.’However, workers associated with labour rights organisations and other activists assert that those arrested by the police were merely exercising their constitutional right to protest, Meanwhile, some students and activists were providing support to them, something the police are labelling as a conspiracy.So far, eight workers and several labourers have been arrested in this case. Apart from Yogesh, the arrested workers include senior journalists Satyam Verma, Aditya Anand, Rupesh Rai, Aakriti Chaudhary, Srishti, Himanshu and labourer Manisha. National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked in the matter of Satyam Verma and Aakriti Chaudhary.Left to right: Engineer Aditya Anand, NET qualified Himanshu Thakur, NET qualified Aakriti, journalist Satyam Verma and labourer Rupesh associated with Bugul Patrika. Background: Noida labour movement. Photo: PTIAttempt to implicateAccording to several media reports as well as Keshav Anand, Yogesh’s friend and a petitioner in the Noida protests case, the police are linking Yogesh with a person named Anil Kumar. Keshav is also closely associated with Yogesh’s case.It is important to note that many petitioners in the case of activists arrested after the Noida protests had accused Anil Kumar of inciting violence and acting on behalf of the police.The Wire was able to verify that on April 13, Anil Kumar had sent a voice note on the Richa Global WhatsApp group in which he can be heard saying, ‘Modi is coming to inaugurate the bypass, the entire road should be blocked tomorrow.’When contacted on April 21, Anil Kumar told The Wire that he works as a contract driver in the Union Home Ministry and that he had earlier worked in Richa Global Company, where there was a movement of workers regarding minimum wage and other demands. However, he had denied any intention to incite violence through the said voice note.It has been alleged in the petition that Anil Kumar and Sub-Inspector Bina Kaur of UP Police tried to ‘create trouble’ by infiltrating the WhatsApp group of labourers.Driver Anil Kumar was detained by UP Police on 21 May. However, it is not clear from where he was apprehended. According to a report published in The Times of India, the police said that “Anil Kumar had no connection with any Noida police officer nor does he work in the city.”The police also said that Kumar is “working on contract with an officer of a central government agency in Delhi”. While talking to The Wire, Anil Kumar had said that he works for the Union home ministry.According to Keshav, police are trying to link Yogesh with Anil. Keshav said that the police claim that Yogesh was in constant touch with Anil. Dainik Bhaskar has also quoted police officials stating that “Investigation has revealed that Yogesh Meena was constantly in touch with Anil (Kumar).”Keshav said that people involved in the movement had publicly questioned Anil Kumar’s role and had also held a press conference concerning him which was later presented as evidence before the court.He said, “If we are the ones exposing the role of an individual, then calling us an associate of that same individual is incomprehensible.”Keshav also informed The Wire Hindi that the available chat records clearly indicate that Yogesh did not endorse the purported inflammatory messages shared by Anil Kumar, but instead questioned them. The Wire Hindi has seen these chats.Keshav alleged that now the investigating agencies are trying to fabricate a new narrative by associating Yogesh and other workers with Anil Kumar. He said, “We possess such screenshots that show Yogesh opposing such messages. If the entire chat is made public, the situation will appear differently.”Keshav further mentioned that Yogesh had contacted Anil Kumar on one occasion. This occurred when Anil had sent inflammatory messages in the group. Yogesh called him to ask why he was sending such messages. But his call went unanswered.No procedure followedMeanwhile, Yogesh’s lawyer Ali Zia Kabir said that the police have not provided him any written or verbal explanation regarding the basis for his arrest.Following his arrest on May 30, Yogesh Meena was produced before the district court magistrate in Gautam Buddh Nagar, where he was remanded to judicial custody for a period of 14 days.Yogesh’s lawyer has alleged that he was not provided with written information concerning the grounds for the arrest, details of the FIR or the reasons for the arrest. He asserted that even the basic legal procedures were not followed during the arrest, which must be adhered to as repeatedly emphasised by the Supreme Court.According to him, “Merely stating it verbally is not enough. The law stipulates that the grounds for arrest must be provided in writing. Yogesh was apprehended on the campus of Delhi University, yet neither the grounds for his arrest were revealed nor the prescribed procedure followed.”Kabir also questioned why the arrest was made at the end of May for an incident that allegedly took place in mid-April. He said, “If the police could wait for almost one and a half months, what was the urgency that a student should be taken away without following the legal procedure? If there is a case against an individual, there are clear procedures for it in the law.”He also alleged that transparency was not maintained even after the arrest.According to Ali Zia Kabir, he was present in the court the whole day on May 31, but he was also not told when and where Yogesh would be produced.“Remand hearing is an important judicial process, where the defense also has the right to present its views. But we were not given any information on time. For a long time it was not even clear to us whether he had been granted police custody or judicial custody,” he said.Yogesh’s friends also confirmed the claims of his lawyer alleging that the entire process of arrest was not in accordance with the rules prescribed by law.According to Sameer, when he was arrested, he was neither presented with a copy of the FIR nor the grounds of arrest were clarified, and no arrest memo was created. Sameer has also alleged in his complaint that the mobile phones of both students were searched and personal digital content was examined, even though no search warrant was shown.In the complaint, Sameer also wrote that Yogesh was carrying his mobile phone and tablet when he was apprehended. They were later seized by the police.In the complaint, he had expressed fear of mistreatment of Yogesh and also alleged that even after 24 hours of his arrest, his family and colleagues were not informed about his whereabouts.In the complaint, Sameer has alleged that during custody, he and Yogesh were asked questions regarding caste, religion and social activities and caste based slurs were hurled at them.No involvement in violenceYogesh is associated with Disha student organisation and has previously contested in student elections for the post of president of Delhi Uuniversity Students Union.Those close to Yogesh say that being a student activist, he supported the peaceful demonstration of the workers. But like the other arrested activists, he too has no contribution in inciting violence.Yogesh’s colleagues say that since coming to the university, he has been inclined towards social work. He used to teach children of poor families and labourers, and created awareness regarding education.On the condition of anonymity due to fear of police action, one of his colleagues said, “He was continuously protesting for the release of other activists arrested in the Noida protest case. Inside the university, he was active in the campaign being run against the arrest of his other colleagues and was gathering support for the case by distributing pamphlets among the students. For this reason he became the target of the police.”Arrested student activist ctivist Yogesh Meena.Keshav said, “He was campaigning outside Ramjas College when he was picked up from there.”Keshav Anand has sent a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Scheduled Tribe Commission and senior officials of Delhi Police. He has alleged that after being detained from North Campus, ‘UP policemen hurled caste based abuses, beat up Yogesh and violated the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.’In the complaint, a demand has been made to register an FIR under the SC/ST Act against the concerned police officers, preserve the CCTV footage and conduct an independent investigation into the matter.Sameer hails from the Scheduled Caste community, while Yogesh belongs to the Scheduled Tribe.Police versionAccording to Dainik Bhaskar, police officials said that “labour violence was not a sudden incident, but there was a well-planned conspiracy behind it.”The newspaper quoted the police as saying that during the investigation, the police found many digital and technical evidences on the basis of which Yogesh Meena was arrested. Police claimed that the accused was “trying to create an atmosphere of anger and confusion among the workers through social media platforms and various WhatsApp groups”.Yogesh’s arrest is related to FIR number 169/2026 registered in Sector-Phase-2 police station of Noida. This FIR was filed on April 23, 2026, and the incidents described in it are said to have taken place between April 10 and April 13.However, this information has not been officially given to Yogesh’s lawyer or associates.According to the FIR, workers’ agitation was going on outside the premises of a private company in Noida. The complainant is an official associated with the company, who alleged that some individuals and unknown persons staged a protest at the entrances of the building, stopped the employees from entering and exiting and later instigated the mob and carried out acts of violence and arson. It is alleged in the FIR that people were organized through WhatsApp groups and the protest was given a violent turn.Several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been invoked in the FIR. These include sections 126(2), 127(2), 109(1), 61(2) and 326(G).In addition to the two named accused, the FIR also includes ‘other unknown persons’ citing which in the subsequent investigation, the police started arresting many social and student activists by linking them to the case. Reportedly, Yogesh Meena has also been arrested in the same case.The Wire has sent a list of questions to the SHO of Noida Phase 2 police station and the Commissioner of Noida Police. Attempts have also been made to reach out to Phase 2 police station via phone calls and messages. However, no response was received till the publication of the news. The response will be added to the report when received.This article was originally published in The Wire Hindi. It has been translated by Naushin Rehman.