Lockdown extension brings migrants to Bandra to demand food

When the janata curfew was announced Abdul Halim 22 a migrant worker from West Bengals Malda district had no idea that a lockdown would continue till May 3 that he would be stuck with his 12 housemates in their small room in a Naupada slum On Tuesday around 2000 migrants like Halim beset by hunger and desperation gathered outside Bandra railway station to protestThis eventually resulted in lathicharge by police who drove them away until all that was left were their slippers The workers gathered at the BEST bus depot near the station around 330 pm Some wanted to return to their native places others demanded food and shelterMore than 2000 migrant labourers had gathered outside Bandra Railway station on the west on Tuesday demanding to be allowed to return to their hometowns PicsAshish RaneThe police arranged grocery packets through an NGO Some queued up but others were unhappy As some people started to shove over 50 policemen charged at them with lathis People ran in every direction climbed over the nearest wall they could find We arranged for 1500 food packets But some people had different demands Our concern was to maintain distancing We used minimum force to disperse the crowd said Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek TrimukheLockdown suddenHalim has been working as a construction labourer in Borivli and Malad for four years He hasnt been paid two months wages He has a ration card but he can only use it in West Bengal All we want is to go home Id rather be hungry with my family than be here Local residents dont let us take grocery packets They say we dont belong here Twelve of us live in one room When we were working it didnt matter But it is not possible to sit inside such a small room If we step out the police beat us up he saidStrewn footwear of the dispersed crowd at the station at Bandra West on TuesdayThe protesters comprised migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh Bihar West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Many were angry that the government didnt give time to prepare for the lockdown Mohammed Dildar 26 who works on a daily wage in hotels hails from Katihar Bihar is desperate to go home When the PM announced the janata curfew they should have given us a warning about a possible lockdown We had no idea that we wouldnt be able to go to our families he saidSufiyan Momin 45 lives with 14 people in a room in Behrampada They have made peace with the lockdown but are struggling to get food I have no money to even buy food The BMC helpline number promises to deliver food I have been calling on the number for a week They say they are distributing food packets Where are they he saidThe police had to stay put in the Bandra station area to ensure there was no more crowding on TuesdayWhat surprised the police and BMC officials was that no one seemed to be leading the protest Everyone came on their own Our assumption is that after the lockdown was extended people felt more frustrated which prompted them to gather for the protest said TrimukheCongress leader Baba Siddique said people had complained about rent Social distancing isnt happening in slums as there is no space Some people cant pay rent They would rather walk back to their native places We will speak to landlords he saidAdditional Commissioner of Police West region Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma said Returning home is not possible We are arranging shelters in Uttar Bharti Sangh where people can stay until the lockdown period Dr Sharma said police tried to tell people about shelters but they were not willing to listenAn official from the suburban collectorate said enough food is being distributed Vinayak Vispute assistant municipal commissioner of H West ward said We have been distributing 8500 food packets and the collectorate is giving grocery packets NGOs and local leaders are also distributing food and there are helplines that can deliver food in half an hourWho organised this crowdMumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar asked how such a large number of workers gathered at the same spot and suggested an attempt at grabbing power in the state Who organised this crowd How can thousands of people gather at the same place and at the same time Longdistance trains start from CSMT and Dadar Why did these people gather outside Bandra station We are hearing that there are attempts made to come in power in some state Is this one of those attempts Pednekar said in a statementInputs by Prajakta Kasale330PMTime when the migrants began gathering at the BEST depot outside Bandra railway station1500No of food packets the Addl CP sourced from an NGOCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news