Desperation, Rumours, Obscure Leader: Why Thousands Of Migrant Workers Were Out On Mumbai Roads

It was an utter chaotic scene in Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon after thousands of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra station demanding that they should be provided travel arrangements to return to their home states.

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This happened just a few hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the ongoing nationwide lockdown will continue till May 3.

While it was not a surprise move, it came as a shock to many thousands of migrant workers who are stranded in big cities with no jobs, no income and an uncertain future due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Like the thousands who had gone back last month, they too had tried but the sudden suspension of rail, air and road traffic meant that they were left stranded, desperate and hungry.

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So, when some rumours started making rounds that there will be special trains from Bandra to take them home, it was only natural for them to rush to the station, only to be told that there is no such thing.

According to reports, the rumours have been making rounds for the past few days, mostly fanned by a self-proclaimed labour leader, whose messages got widespread traction on social media among the migrant workers.

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The labour leader, identified as Vinay Dubey ran an NGO called Uttar Bhartiya Maha Panchayat and had some influence among the migrant workers.

Over the past few days, he was reportedly running a campaign called "Chalo Ghar Ki Ore (let's go home)" calling on migrant workers to return to their native villages.

In one of the several videos and social media posts that Dubey put out in the past few days, he had appealed to the government to provide special trains to UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and claimed that the migrant workers will die of hunger if they are not allowed to go back home.

Vinay Dubey/ FACEBOOK

He also claimed that he had arranged buses for them to go back, but it was not allowed. He also threatened that if the government does not provide them trains or buses he will lead them on a march on foot, back home.

Dubey has now been arrested for inciting the migrant workers. An FIR for rioting has been filed against nearly 1,000 people in connection with the incident.

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The protests also took a political turn with the opposition BJP blaming Shiv Sena and Chief Minister Uddav Thakery for the crisis.

This is a serious situation that has occurred and it has happened because migrants are not being provided with proper food and accommodation. We have been repeatedly pointing this out to the state government. The state is trying to escape their responsibility by blaming the Centre,¡± Maharashtra opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah who spoke to Uddhav Thackeray expressed concern over the gathering and stressed that such events weaken India¡¯s fight against the pandemic and administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents.

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Rejecting the allegations again the government, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Centre for the protest and sought a roadmap to facilitate the migrant workers' journey back to their native places.

Thackeray said the situation in Bandra or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the central government is unable to take a call on arranging a way back home from the migrant labourers.

"They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," he said, adding that a mutual roadmap drawn up with the Union government will help migrant labourers travel from one state to another during the lockdown and reach their homes.

Thackeray said feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar - that they want to go back to their native places. "Many are refusing to eat or stay in these camps," he said.

Maharashtra is not the first state to witness such protests by migrant workers, Kerala, which also has a sizable migrant workers population witnessed similar scenes last month, after an audio clip was widely circulated among them, claiming that special trains have been arranged from them to go back.

But after they assembled and got to know that there was no such arrangement they protested in large numbers on the streets demanding transport facilities to return to their home states.

Kerala Police has arrested several people including a Congress leader who reportedly made the audio clip.