Govt Denies Having Any Data On Migrant Deaths During Lockdown, So Here's One For The Start

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.

The government's response which came on day 1 of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha was met with strong criticism from the opposition.

With this, the government has once again ignored the plight of the masses when they were forced to set on a thousands of kilometres long journey when the lockdown was announced earlier this year in March. The long journey of days and weeks turned fatal for hundreds of migrant workers who were forced to go back to their villages after there was no employment and a means of survival left for them.

The migrant crisis was dubbed a massive humanitarian crisis with no respite in the near future.

Thousands of people walking barefoot for hundreds of kilometers were a striking reminder of how much the government cares for those who essentially are the backbone of this country and keep it running.

While the government may still be in denial mode about the fatalities that occurred during the migrant crisis, there is enough data in the public domain which reflects the massive number of migrant workers' death.

198 Migrant Workers Were Killed On The Road, Lockdown 3.0 Saw The Highest

The nationwide lockdown that began on March 25 triggered one of the biggest human tragedies in our times - the migrant worker crisis. The magnitude of the crisis and the devastating impact of the lockdown began unraveling only after thousands of desperate migrant workers gathered at various state borders to demand that they should be sent home.

File Photo

Since the first weeks of the lockdown, hundreds have been walking home often for days, to reach their homes hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. While the majority of them made it, others were not so lucky and they fell by the road, due to exhaustion and accidents.

Around 200 migrant workers lost their lives in road accidents during the lockdown period, with over-speeding of vehicles being one of the main reasons, according to the findings by SaveLIFE Foundation.

Five states Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra accounted for the maximum deaths of migrant workers. The top 5 states that reported road crash deaths of migrant workers are Uttar Pradesh (94), Madhya Pradesh (38), Bihar (16), Telangana (11) and Maharashtra (9).

"Since the lockdown began, nearly 200 migrant workers have lost their lives, while walking, cycling back home, travelling in HMVs (heavy motor vehicles) and LMVs (light motor vehicles)..., and in mass fatality crashes involving state-organized buses. One of the recurring reasons for mass casualties in most of the incidents was speeding and driver fatigue due to continuous driving on tenuous routes," the foundation said.

Phase 3 reported 60% of all migrant deaths in road crashes during lockdown followed by phase 4 with 19% of total migrant deaths reported in the media. Lockdown 3.0 resulted in the death of 118 migrant workers, while phases one, two and four witnessed 25, 17 and 38 deaths respectively.

80 Migrants Died Of Heat, Starvation On Shramik Special Trains

The Railways Protection Force in May 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.

BCCL/Representational Image

Out of these, 18 deaths occurred in the North Eastern Railway zone, 19 in North Central zone and 13 in East Coast Railway zone.

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.

And these are only the reported numbers. There are numerous unreported deaths which occured during the lockdown in hinterlands and roads. Several accidents took place on roads and on railway tracks which killed hundreds of migrants on foot.

More than 1 crore migrants made their way back to their home states from various corners of the country.

"The Modi government does not know how many migrant labourers died and how many jobs were lost during the lockdown. If you haven't counted, have the deaths not taken place? It is sad that there has been no impact on the government. The world has seen their deaths. There is a Modi government which has no information," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi this morning.