Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has emerged as a messiah for the migrant workers, who were unable to go back to their hometown due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut criticized the ‘Dabangg’ actor and called him a ‘Mahatma’ in his Sunday column. Despite the controversy, Sonu came forward to help 180 migrant workers reach their home in Assam.


The ‘R Rajkummar’ actor arranged an Air Asia flight to send 180 migrants back to Assam. They left for Silchar at 7am from Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport. Sonu was himself present at the airport to bid them adieu.


The 180 migrants were working in Pune and they had reached Mumbai to board a train to go back to Assam. However, they were stranded in Bandra due to Cyclone Nisarga since June 3. Sonu Sood and his friend Neeti Goyal arranged food and accommodation for the migrant workers.


Also READ: Sonu Sood Denied Entry At Bandra Terminus Platform To Say Goodbye To Migrants; DEETS INSIDE!


Talking about the same, Sonu Sood said in a statement, "We wanted to help these Assamese migrants reunite with their families and that's when we decided to arrange a special flight for them. I was extremely emotional to see their smiling faces as they were excited to experience air travel and eventually meet their families and friends. I'm happy I could be there for them in these trying times when they needed help the most."


Neeti Goyal told ABP News, "When we came to know that these migrant workers were stuck in Mumbai due to rains and cyclone, we arranged food for them and also provided them accommodation in Chembur. We finally send them to Assam’s Silchar via flight today.”



Sonu Sood had earlier arranged a special aircraft from Bengaluru to airlift 177 Odia girls, who were stuck in Kerala’s Ernakulam amid the Coronavirus lockdown. He helped them reach Bhubaneshwar from Kochi.


Also READ: Sonu Sood Meets Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray At Matoshree After Sena MP Raut's 'Mahatma' Jibe On Actor


The ‘Simmba’ actor also arranged another chartered flight to help 180 migrant workers reach Uttarakhand’s Dehradun. Pregnant women and elderly people were given priority over others for the travel.