DM Monitoring
Mumbai: Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the national lockdown would continue until May 3, at least 3,000 migrant workers poured out to the streets of Bandra in Mumbai. The workers had hoped that the three-week lockdown would end today, April 14, and that they would finally be able to return to their respective states.
With every passing day, the condition of migrant workers has only worsened. Most of them have been without jobs, money or enough food to eat. Many of them are stranded in big cities they cannot afford to reside in without jobs.
Today, the prime minister spoke for nearly 25 minutes about the need to extend the lockdown. In his speech, he included mention of an app and extended season’s greetings, but did not offer a solution for the labourers.
Shortly after his speech ended, labourers began to converge near Bandra bus depot. “Initially it was just a small group. But within 30 minutes a large number of people gathered here. We had to deploy police force and try to calm people down,” a senior police official said.
ABP Mazha, a Marathi news channel had run unverified news claiming that the Railways will resume operations and trains will be made available for migrants to return home. The state government is probing if this news report was a reason behind the sudden gathering at Bandra railway station.
The labourers outnumbered the police and in no time, police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
