Upendra Khari was at the wrong place at the right time. He heard the thrum of power saws as he approached the derelict Daewoo Motors factory in Greater Noida. It was a route he had taken for 30 years—first as an employee, and then later as a union leader demanding unpaid dues after the factory shut down. That day in June, he saw a scene of ecological plunder. A group of men were hacking away at the trees, others were loading trunks onto a waiting truck. When Khari and other protesters tried to stop them, muscled bouncers surrounded them.

A month later, on 9 July, forest officials took the drastic step of sealing the factory grounds after another wave of destruction. At least 900 trees on the 204-acre expanse lay felled, victims allegedly of the new owners of the property, real estate company Shakuntalam Landcraft. It was the first time a private property in Noida had been sealed for the massacre of trees.

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