Artist jailed in India for supporting workers’ protest
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Srishti Gupta, a 28-year-old artist from Uttar Pradesh, India, has been detained by police since April for participating in a workers’ protest in Noida, an industrial city near Delhi.
Gupta joined the protests demanding wage increases for industrial workers who hadn’t received raises since 2014, aligning herself with the Left-leaning Progressive Artists’ League. Police accuse her of inciting violence and conspiracy, citing her association with Leftist groups and possession of revolutionary literature.
Friends and community members describe Gupta as deeply empathetic and dedicated to social justice. Before her arrest, she ran literacy classes and volunteered in low-income neighborhoods like Shahbad Dairy in Delhi, where she lived among residents and helped with daily life. She also fostered relationships with the Santhal Adivasi community while studying at Visva-Bharati University, learning local crafts and agricultural practices.
The Allahabad High Court recently criticized authorities investigating the protest cases for fabricating stories about another artist arrested alongside Gupta, Akriti Chaudhary. However, Gupta remains imprisoned, facing eleven separate cases filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police, and has not yet been granted bail in two of them. Supporters have organized an art exhibition in Shahbad Dairy to raise awareness about her situation, displaying messages from children she taught and artwork reflecting her values.
