The Press Club of India (PCI) on Friday (May 15, 2026) condemned the decision of the Uttar Pradesh police to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against Satyam Verma, editor of Mazdoor Bigul Dasta magazine, on the charge of provoking the recent workers’ protests in Noida.

The PCI urged the UP government to withdraw the move against Mr. Verma and free the senior journalist from detention, stating that the UP police invoked the NSA after nearly a month of his arrest.

“The provision of the draconian Act has also been invoked against an activist, Akriti Chauhan. Mr. Verma, former chief of the Lucknow news bureau of the United News of India (UNI), and his magazine, have been consistently writing about issues faced by labours in the country, including those faced by the protesting workers in Noida,” it said.

“Writing about workers’ rights and reporting on labour issues is part of journalism, not a crime in a democracy. We outrightly condemn the misuse of NSA against the senior journalist. Mr. Verma was picked up on April 19 on the charge of provoking the workers in Noida to hold a protest to demand wage hike and better working conditions,” said the PCI.

It noted that Verma’s colleagues have alleged that a large contingent of UP Police had also arrived at the Delhi office of the magazine to intimidate them.

“In 2021, an Indian Express report had held up that the Allahabad High Court had red-flagged 94 out of 120 habeas corpus petitions in which the NSA was invoked, suggesting that the law was misused by investigating agencies,” it added.