2 min readNew DelhiMay 1, 2026 02:40 AM IST
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is learnt to have asked all the states and Union Territories to stay alert ahead of nationwide May Day protests planned by trade and farmer unions on May 1.
The MHA’s advisory, urging heightened vigilance and precautionary security measures, comes in the wake of a series of worker protests in Noida earlier this month, when workers took to the streets demanding higher wages, reduced working hours and better overtime compensation. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation amid expectations of large turnouts on International Labour Day on Friday.
In an internal communication to all the Chief Secretaries, DGPs and Police Commissioners on Thursday, the MHA is learnt to have informed that central trade unions, barring the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), are likely to mobilise workers on May Day, foregrounding key labour demands and recent protest-related grievances. “The unions are planning coordinated public meetings and processions in industrial areas, state capitals, and district headquarters to press for the withdrawal of the four Labour Codes, an increase in minimum wages, and the unconditional release of workers arrested during recent protests in NCR,” a source said.
In a show of broader solidarity, central trade unions have joined hands with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, appealing to farmers across the country to participate in May Day programmes.
The MHA has also pointed out that pro–ultra Left labour outfits may also organise parallel processions in industrial belts, raising concerns over the scale and spread of mobilisation.
In view of the planned demonstrations, the MHA has directed to take adequate precautionary measures to maintain law and order situation. The advisory calls for heightened security arrangements at industrial clusters, state capitals, and district headquarters to prevent any untoward incidents.
