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.
Comments
First Dont pressurize in studies. Be friendly with Kids, Learn together with them. Dont look and compare with other kids who is smarter than your kids... Appreciate your kids when he brings something interesting even it is small. If the kid is bringing something bad ... Never scold ... After all he is your kid... bring him near and advice him and explain to him the bad effect of what he is doing ... Give examples of precious people and their end for doing such bad thing..... PARENTS should be Patience all the time with the kids.. Keep Laptop / mobile phones in the hall instead of their ROOM.
What I have observed among our Indian parents is they are very arrogant, too strict and the parents think they are always right. Children have no say in anything. Parents won't listen and don't have patience to what the children have to say and they just brush them off.
Rest in peace.
Shocking. Cant believe.
Parents should ask if they find anything abnormal, like this boy was depressed for past few days.
Condolences.
kids are not open minded to parents. They are not telling everything to their parents. Reason yet to be known, but still if he told to his father, he may need not to go for this extreme step
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