A video of migrants looting a food cart at a railway station is doing the rounds in Madhya Pradesh.
A video of migrants looting a food cart at a railway station is doing the rounds in Madhya Pradesh, highlighting once again the plight of homebound migrant labourers, travelling for days without proper food and water. The video is one of many that surfaced over the last weeks, showing the hunger and desperation of the migrants, whose income dried up overnight when the countrywide lockdown was announced on March 25.
In April, when the Centre started the train service for migrants following much back and forth with the states, it had assured that the passengers will be provided with food and water.
But situation on the ground indicated that the promised relief has not reached many.
In the latest video, which is from Itarsi railway station in Narmadapuram division of Madhya Pradesh, shows a special train -- later found to be the 1869 Shramik Special.
On the platform the migrants surrounded a push cart, piled high with packets of what looks like dry food. Armed with sticks, railway workers surrounded the cart, shouting warnings to anyone trying to come near.
But soon, several people plucked courage and snatched a packet or two. As the rest advanced, the railway workers gave up and within seconds the cart stood empty. The Railway employees stood at a safe distance, shouting warnings to those recording the incident on cellphones. The area looked like a battlefield, strews with empty packets, plastic, and slices of bread that fell during the melee.
Sources said the incident took place in the absence of the Railway Protection Force personnel.
The food packets had been brought for distribution among the migrant workers travelling on the train. But the workers, who had nothing to eat since they boarded the train at Mumbai on Saturday, lost patience.
Earlier this month, a similar incident took place at the state's Satna railway station. Dramatic videos from the platform showed migrant workers, armed with belts, abuse and violently fight each other inside a train over food.
In fear of getting infected by coronavirus, Railway police officers did not intervene. They banged on the train windows with sticks and tried to calm down the workers.
The train had set off from Kalyan in Maharashtra with around 1,200 migrants on Tuesday.
Similar scenes were witnessed recently at Bihar's Katihar railway station. A fierce fight had broken out as people -- travelling without food for days -- mobbed the men distributing lunch.
On Friday, a video from the Old Delhi Railway station showed scores of migrant workers looting a push-cart carrying cartons of food and water.