80 Migrants Died Of Heat, Starvation On Shramik Special Trains, Says Railways Protection Force
As ironic as it may sound, the Railways Protection Force said that at least 80 migrant workers died on "Shramik Special" trains between May 8 to May 27.
On September 14, the Union Labour Ministry said there is no data on migrant deaths so the "question does not arise" of compensation.
The ministry was replying to a question on whether families of those who had lost their lives while trying to reach home in the coronavirus lockdown had been compensated.
As ironic as it may sound, the Railways Protection Force said that at least 80 migrant workers died on "Shramik Special" trains between May 8 to May 27.
The Railway Protection Force data, as reviewed by Hindustan Times, says nearly 80 migrant workers died of starvation or heat sickness while travelling on special trains to their home villages amid the lockdown to contain the coronavirus.
Out of these, 18 deaths occurred in the North Eastern Railway zone, 19 in North Central zone and 13 in East Coast Railway zone.
Image for representational purpose only.
The report says that nearly 80 per cent of the special trains falling in these zones were destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Among those dead, some were as young as four-years-old.
The list also mentions co-morbidities. In some cases, accidents caused deaths.
In the past week alone, at least nine deaths were reported on trains, including a 35-year-old woman who was found in Bihar's Muzaffarpur. The video of her dead body lying in the train station and her toddler playing alongside and trying to wake her up shook the country.
BCCL
On May 29, railway officials found the body of a migrant labourer lying in a toilet of a train in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
However, the railway ministry claimed that only a ¡°few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions while travelling have happened¡±.
Ever since the train services resumed for migrant workers, there have been numerous reports of lack of food and water on platforms for them. There are have been inordinate delays in trains, which has caused severe discomfort to the migrant workers, turning the pandemic into a humanitarian crisis in the country.
