Home Minister Amit Shah Speaks To Uddhav Thackeray After Protest At Mumbai's Bandra Amid Lockdown

Thousands of migrant workers, who earn daily wages, gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places.

Shah also extended full support from the Central government to tackle the situation. (File Photo/ Getty)

Mumbai: Soon after an unprecedented mass gathering of migrant workers at Mumbai's Bandra (West) Railway station amid the Coronavirus lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the issue. "Such events weaken the country's fight against the coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents," he told Maharashtra CM. As per reports, Shah also extended full support from the Central government to tackle the situation. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. Thousands of migrant workers, who earn daily wages, gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3.

#CoronavirusInIndia : #AmitShah Speaks To #UddhavThackeray Over #Bandra Gathering; Assures Full Support

LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/zfajde0ATN pic.twitter.com/RFzLMOI0Zu — ABP News (@ABPNews) April 14, 2020

Police said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts.  The Mumbai Police, which attempted to cajole them from jamming there in such large numbers, resorted to a mild lathi charge when sections of the restive hordes threatened to go out of control. By 6 pm, Mumbai Police spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranaya Ashok informed that "the crowd had dispersed" while local police sources said that the "situation is under control, and the entire area would be sanitised" as a precautionary measure.

Complete failure of the State administration in Maharashtra to convey the messages of lockdown to the poor migrant labourers at Bandra. Complete lackadaisical approach despite the high toll in the state. https://t.co/7yfx7Ihmu4

— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) April 14, 2020

Reacting to the incident, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the state government is making all the necessary arrangements to accommodate them. He said that the government has been able to persuade migrant workers to not go back to their hometowns as they may carry the infection with them. Coming in trickles, the jostling sea of humanity, including women, virtually caught the police unaware and sounded alarm bells among the state health authorities struggling to keep people indoors and avoid crowding in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their lives a constant struggle.