Lockdown: Migrant workers clash with police in Gujarat
Surat, May 4 () Hundreds of migrant workers seekingto return home clashed with police and pelted stones at themnear a village in Gujarat's Surat district on Monday,following which the security personnel lobbed teargas shellsand baton-charged the agitated workers, an official said.
Besides, several labourers also came out on a road inRajkot demanding that they be sent back to their hometowns,while some migrant workers got their heads tonsured in an areaof Surat after being unable to go back home.
Hundreds of migrant workers clashed with police nearVareli village on the outskirts of Surat while demanding thatarrangements be made to send them back to their nativeplaces in the wake of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, apolice official said.
They threw stones at the police, following which thesecurity personnel retaliated and lobbed teargas shells andlathi-charged the agitated workers, he said.
The labourers also damaged some vehicles parked onSurat-Kadodara road, he said.
The situation was later brought under control andsecurity was stepped up in the area, he added.
Besides, 50 migrant labourers got their heads tonsuredin Surat's Pandesara locality on Monday after being unable toleave for their native places in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
They claimed that two days back their buses were givenpermission to leave Gujarat. But, later they were stopped atKosamba in Surat by local administration officials due to lackof "valid permission" and asked to go back.
The workers said they have been waiting endlessly forthe administration to clear their journey back home.
One of them said the money they arranged for the busfare after lot of hardships has not been returned to them, anddemanded that governments of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat co-ordinate their travel back home without delay.
"Many of us sold off our watches and mobile phones toarrange for the bus fare. Now we are still at the same place,with no permission given to our buses to move. We are strandedhere with no help from officials. We demand the governments ofthe two states to coordinate fast for our return back home,"he said.
In Rajkot, hundreds of migrant workers came out onroad in Shapar-Veraval industrial area on the city outskirts,demanding that they be sent back home.
Police said they managed to persuade the workers tocall off the protest, and brought the situation under control.
"We have proactively reached out to migrants in theirresidential localities and have explained to them that theywill be allowed to leave in vehicles that they themselvesarrange after getting a medical checkup done and completingother formalities," Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police(Zone-1) Ravi Mohan Saini said.
"In some areas, we have received complaints regardinglandlords demanding rent and factory owners not paying salary.We will take action on such complaints. So far, the migrantshave understood and are peaceful," he said.
Some migrant workers also gathered outside the Rajkotcollector's office to fill forms for returning home, sayingthey had no food and money to sustain their livelihood.
One of the workers, a native of Badaun in UttarPradesh, said he filled the form as told by police.
"The factory where I worked is closed, and I want togo back to my native place. They say we will have to arrangeour our own vehicles to return to our native place, but wewant the government to send us back in train," he said.
Some of the workers said they have not got salariesfrom factories where they worked, while their landlords arestill demanding house rent.
"Our company gave the salary initially but is notpaying us any more. We have nothing to eat, we want thegovernment to arrange for a train back to our native placefrom Rajkot," said another worker. COR KA PDVTGK GK