After PM Modi’s address to the nation about the extension of lockdown till May 3, people in Mumbai, the city with the biggest number of coronavirus cases, became the site of a huge protest this afternoon as hordes of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra station, protesting against the extension of the lockdown. Video footage from the area showed thousands of people jostling, giving a go by to government warnings about coronavirus and social distancing.
Most demanded that they be allowed to go home. Sources said the crowd also had people from the nearby slums, who came in search of food. When the crowd ignored several warnings to disperse, batons were used, the police said.
The visuals — reminiscent of the huge migrant exodus outside the inter-state bus stations in Delhi after the lockdown was declared for the first time – raised questions about how such a huge crowd gathered despite multiple containment zones in the city. It also raised concern about further spread of the virus –Mumbai has seen more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19, more than half of the 2,300-plus cases in Maharashtra.
The countrywide lockdown has been extended till May 3 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement this morning.
The lockdown, which just completed three weeks, has hit migrant workers the worst. Most are daily wage labourers who lost their income. Despite government promises of free food, many have been unable to get two meals a day. The lack of any form of transport meant most of them have not been able to go home to their villages either.
The Congress’s Sanjay Nirupam denied that food was a problem for the migrants and blamed the lockdown, which has worsened the living conditions of the workers. Most of these people live in crowded areas where 10 or more people share a room. The lockdown means they have had to stay in such cramped conditions for days.
The protest comes on a day the country witnessed a huge jump in the cases of coronavirus. More than 1,400 people tested positive for coronavirus, taking the all-India figure above 10,000. Around 1,100 people have recovered and 353 patients have died.
