Amidst Mumbai police Intel failure, fearful migrant workers face harassment for venturing at Bandra station

Mumbai: Investigation has already started by the Mumbai Police to probe the conspiracy behind gathering of 2000 migrant workers in Bandra. The Bandra Police station has arrested total of 10 persons for rioting on April 14 in Bandra crisis. 

Surprisingly, Mumbai Police intelligence failed in gathering the inputs on ‘mass gathering’ near Bandra railway station. 

The insiders of Shashtri Nagar claim that it was being planned from the past 2-3 days to reach nearest railway station and hence none of the migrant workers was carrying any luggage with them. 

Now the police officials have started harassing the innocents who just went as they wanted to reach out to their families. The fear has gripped the migrant workers so much that they are not ready to come out from their kholis (room).  The food packets have started reaching in Shashtri Nagar but now these 2000 migrant workers are living in continuous fear of arrest by the Mumbai Police.

When contacted Mumbai Police PRO, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP ) Pranay Ashok on developing fear among the migrant workers on daily basis grilling to probe the conspiracy of mass gathering in Bandra, he said, ” The innocent people in area should not fear. They can speak up with Mumbai Police any time. If any harassment they go through , can dial Mumbai Police Helpline Number 100.”

” Even if the ration or food packet they are not receiving they can reach out to Mumbai Police. We are here to help them, ” added he.

On the other side, police officials are tasked to identify the miscreants in the mob gathering and arrest them. There are several videos that police has accessed and is trying to identify the leader as well as miscreants.

An official from Mumbai Police who was part of the lathi-charge said, “the gathered mob looked headless. They wanted to go to their home towns. Most of them are from Bihar and West Bengal some are also from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.”

“The announcement was done so that they would disperse but few of them were adamant thus batons were used to make them run away from the place,” he added.

At present the investigating agency is under pressure for both, nabbing the miscreants who did not adhere to the advice for peaceful dispersal and is also probing on who planned the conspiracy of gathering huge number of migrants.

The migrant workers gathered near Bandra railway station and demanded that the authorities and state government to send them to their home towns.

Post aftermath the migrant workers are facing the heat of police investigation.  According to social activist Firoz Rashid Khan who stays in Shashtri Nagar in Bandra with his family revealed the reason for the mass gathering of migrants at Bandra station.

Khan said, “migrants are from Bihar and West Bengal in Shashtri Nagar. The 21 days lockdown had already depressed the mood of the migrants. A section of migrant workers were receiving food packets from the local voluntary bodies. However, on April 13 they all were thinking that after the last day, they might be able to go to their hometown. The announcement by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi disappointed the migrant workers.”

Khan reveals that before the lockdown several of the migrant labourers had decided to go out and check the availability of trains and buses. “They were counting days and since it was fixed to meet. They all came out and started walking towards the railway station. Now seeing this huge mass which is invincible,  the others also joined,” added Khan.

Khan said,” They had become penniless and were desperate to go to home. Hence they decided to march towards railway station on the last day of lockdown. The word of going to native speed like fire and thus thousands of other workers also came near station.”

Khan describes that aftermath of this incident is now haunting many migrants, some of them lost their mobile phones, while few others had to face pickpocketing also. – By Santoshee Gulabkali Mishra