Bengaluru, May 7: Fear and anxiety gripped migrant workers who lined up at police stations in the city on Wednesday to register for train services without knowing that the state government had cancelled the train facility.
Senior officials in South Western Railway said they were ready to run special trains for migrant workers. On Tuesday evening, the state government decided to withdraw the requests made for 13 such trains to north India after realtors said they need the labourers here.
Migrants continued to stream into the railway station at Majestic, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre and even the bus station hoping for some travel arrangement. Many who were aware of the government web portal, stood in front of the BBMP ward office or police stations for enrolment.
In Varthur, over 100 migrants stood in front of the police station and sought to know what happened to the forms they had submitted four days ago. "We first went to the BBMP office and were shooed away by an official who directed us to go to the police station. We want to go home and demanded that the police help us. There was no response first. Then they came out and beat us," said Pintu Kumar from Mohanpur of Bhagalpur district in Bihar.
Though a video clip accidentally shot by Kumar showed two police personnel charging the cane at them, a police officer from the Varthur station, however, disputed the claim. "The video doesn’t show the cane landing on any person. We were beating the seat and tyre of two-wheelers to send the migrants away," he said.
At Mahadevapura, the workers came in groups and submitted the forms at the police station.
At the railway station in Majestic, a group of labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand had walked from several areas in south Bengaluru only to be told that there is no train. Mahendra, a labourer from Jharkhand, said they received 5 kg rice and nothing else in the last 45 days. "Now, I don’t want food. I don’t want the job or money. I can't get stuck here. I want to go home,” he said.
'Restore dignity'
Activists and leaders wrote an open letter to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa questioning the decision to cancel trains without consulting labourers and protesting the violation of their fundamental rights.
The letter had support of 522 organisations and individuals, including Dalit rights organisations and trade unions. It urged the government to restore the dignity of the migrant workers. "We demand recognition of the autonomy and dignity of the migrant workers to decide their travel plans. No one should be forced either to stay back or to return to their home states," it said.
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I think this hate monger belongs to the family of MP Shoba, Ananta Kumar, Giriraj etc. I am sorry to say that these people are illiterate and still kids. They dont know what is ammunition and where they are stored. They think food grains or water or any items for use in Masjids are ammunitions. These people are either fool or trying to fool public. They are agents of Sangh parivar and trying to create unrest in society owing to upcoming election. Karnataka Govt should take note of this hate monger and arrest him immedaitely. He should be stripped of MP post as he is not fit to this position.
Please invite him to the Masjid and show him how we worship ALLAH alone who has no partners. There is no God but ALLAH and Muhammad is his messenger of God... who conveyed the message of ONENESS of God who has no image....(NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI) I think he should CONTEMPLATE on this verse of VEDAS to come near to the CREATOR of all that EXISTS. Picture will be CLEARNED when people PONDER on their own SCRIPTuRe which says GOD is 1 there is no SECOND and it has no image.... (Those who look honestly about the TRUE CREATOR, The CREATOR will Guide them to TRUTH)
Out of his brain...
ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಅದಕ್ ಯಾಕ್ರೀ ಸುಮ್ನ ಸ್ಟೇಜ್ ಪ್ರಾಟೆಸ್ಟು? ಜೋಶಿ ಸಾಹೇಬರ್ಗ ಮಸೀದಿ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಾ ಅಂತೀನಿ. ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದ್ರೆ ಇಸ್ಲಾಮ್ ಏನೂಂತ ತಿಲ್ಸಿ ಕೊಡ್ರೀ. ಪಾಪ! ಅವರು ಮಸೀದಿ ಅಂದ್ರ ಇಂಡಿಯನ್ ಆರ್ಮಿ ಗೋದಾಮೂಂತ ತಿಳ್ಕೊಂಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ...
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