Video: Migrant Workers Being Washed With Chemical Water In Bareilly, Shows How Poor Are Treated
Migrant workers are facing the worst effect of the lockdown since their places of work shut down and their landlords asked them to leave if they cannot pay rent. With no shelter or money to survive, they set out on a journey by foot to get to their respective villages, hundreds of kilometres away.
The Uttar Pradesh government arranged 1,000 buses for the workers to get to their respective states from Delhi, but there are many who are still stick and suffering. But for those who did manage to get to their state, they were put through another traumatic experience.
BCCL
Even though the importance of sanitising and staying clean is of utmost importance right now, the act carried out in this video that was posted on Twitter is completely unacceptable.
The video was posted by Twitter user @kanwardeepsTOI who is a journalist for Times of India and the caption says, 'Who r u trying to kill, Corona or humans? Migrant labourers and their families were forced to take bath in chemical solution upon their entry in Bareilly'.
Who r u trying to kill, Corona or humans? Migrant labourers and their families were forced to take bath in chemical solution upon their entry in Bareilly. @Uppolice@bareillytraffic @Benarasiyaa @shaileshNBT pic.twitter.com/JVGSvGqONm
¡ª Kanwardeep singh (@KanwardeepsTOI) March 30, 2020
In the video, you can see several migrant workers squatting down on the road in a group and men in hazard suits are bathing them with a hose and the pressure of the water/chemical solution also appears to be very strong.
The comments on the video point out the fact the same was not done at the airports where the chances of spreading the virus were way higher and how the world treats the poor like objects and not human beings. It also brings in the topic of blatant casteism and classism being practiced, using the pandemic as an excuse.
Twitter
After the traumatic ordeal these workers underwent - starving for days and walking hundreds of kilometres before the government decided to help them out - being subjected to such discrimination and humiliation is absolutely uncalled for.
The comments on the video show that no one approves of this inhumane behaviour that the workers were subjected to.
If this is done at airports, it would have served a better purpose, why poor to suffer?
¡ª Gangadhar Bhaware (@Bhaware_93) March 30, 2020
Spraying them down like cattle. Would these people do this at the airports?
¡ª Petrohead (@Petrohead1) March 30, 2020
Mitroon #NewIndia
¡ª Archan Gowda (@archansr) March 30, 2020
Ppl who brought the virus to India party with Modi & Yogi Govt ministers.
And poor migrants walk back home & with no food dieing are sprayed with chemicals-pesticide.
Poor & Backwards are ? any crisis they have to pay @hrwpic.twitter.com/2AsBU8J0oW
Wish they had done this in airports as well..
¡ª Hameed Pasha ???????? (@whitecrescent) March 30, 2020
Of they did this to all those foreign travellers who bought the virus to India, at airports, the virus wouldn't be here.
¡ª ??NAMOs (@kabirazad2017) March 30, 2020
But would they dare to do it to the rich? No way.
This is how caste and class works in India.
This is dehumanising
¡ª Millennial Launda #StayHome? (@launda_mln) March 30, 2020
The poor always suffer the most and this is not the time to add to their misery.
