Police fired tear gas and workers torched vehicles on Monday as a labour dispute in Noida, a major planned industrial township on the outskirts of India's capital New Delhi, entered its fourth consecutive day. Workers from hosiery and other manufacturing units in the city's Phase 2 industrial zone blocked key roads, pelted stones at security forces, and set fire to at least one police vehicle, prompting riot-gear-clad officers to intervene. Noida Link Road, a critical artery connecting Noida to Delhi via the Chilla border, was fully blocked, causing severe traffic disruption across the wider metropolitan area.

The workers' core demands centre on fixed duty hours, proper overtime pay, and strict adherence to federal minimum wage guidelines. Vinay Mahoti, a 30-year-old migrant worker from Bihar employed at a hosiery company, said he first protested inside his own factory before joining a broader street demonstration. His grievances reflect a wider squeeze on working-class incomes: global fuel supplies have been disrupted by the ongoing US-Israel military conflict with Iran, pushing up living costs worldwide and eroding the purchasing power of low-wage workers in particular. A similar wave of protests last week in neighbouring Haryana state — home to several major car manufacturers — resulted in the state government ordering a 35 percent increase in minimum wages.

Authorities have urged restraint while simultaneously warning of firm action. Uttar Pradesh's Director General of Police, Rajeev Krishna, said officers are identifying