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New Delhi: Sixteen-year-old Nitin (name changed), who hails from Nausena Madaiya village in the Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, has been in the custody of the Uttar Pradesh Police for the past two months. He was reportedly arrested on April 14 following the Noida labour protest.

His family alleged that though he is a minor, Nitin was treated like an adult inmate and confined in Kasna Jail, located in Greater Noida.

Now, after a medical examination confirmed that he is a minor and the court granted him bail on May 29, he is yet to get released because his family is unable to afford the bail sum of Rs 45,000.

Nitin, who was employed at a grocery store in Noida, hails from an extremely poor family. His father succumbed to illness in 2024. The family now includes Nitin, his mother, and two brothers. His elder brother, 18-year-old Dinesh, works at a brick kiln in Punjab alongside their mother whereas the younger brother is 13 years old.

Nitin’s brother, Dinesh, said that the arrest took place while Nitin was working at the grocery store which is located in the Bhangel area of ​​Noida. 

Also read: Too Little, Too Late: Wage Hikes, Welfare Promises and the Machinery of Control

Nitin’s lawyer, Manik Gupta, told The Wire Hindi, “On April 14, Nitin received a phone call informing him that there was a parcel for him. Although he stated that he hadn’t placed any order for a parcel, he was asked to step outside. Nitin said that when he reached the designated spot, he found the police there, who immediately took him into custody.”

After being detained alongside adults in the jail for almost two months, he was transferred to a juvenile facility on June 12. An ossification test, which is used to assess age, was then carried out. Although the results confirmed that he was a minor, he remained in jail for another six days.

Both Nitin’s lawyer and his brother, Dinesh, allege that after being detained, he was moved to another police facility where he was subjected to assault and later made to sign certain documents. The Wire Hindi has not been able to independently verify these allegations of assault.

“Nitin told me that the police had beaten him for a long time and even broke a baton during the assault,” said Dinesh.

In April, workers in Noida staged protests demanding salary hikes and improved working conditions. The protest escalated into violence on April 13.

Workers and activists allege that the police used force without provocation, whereas the police claimed that the mob........

© The Wire