Migrant workers and their families queue outside a train station to board a Bihar-bound Shramik Express train in Faridabad on May 15, 2020 (AFP).
In a written response to a question posed by TMC MP Derek O’Brien, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said that autopsies on 51 bodies have shown that the cause of these deaths is cardiac arrest, heart disease, a cerebral hemorrhage and a pre-existing chronic disease. among others.
- PTI
- Last update: September 19, 2020 2:25 PM IST
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The government has informed the Rajya Sabha that 97 people died aboard the Shramik Specials, admitting for the first time that migrant workers lost their lives on the trains that were headed to transport them during the Covid-19 shutdown.
In a written response to a question posed by TMC MP Derek O’Brien on Friday, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal provided the statistics to the upper house of Parliament. “According to data provided by the state police, as of 09.09.2020 it was reported that 97 people had died while traveling aboard the Shramik special trains during the current Covid-19 situation / crisis,” the minister said.
“The state police register the case under Section 174 of Cr.PC in cases of unnatural deaths and follow an additional legal process,” said the minister.
Of the 97 death cases, state police sent corpses for autopsy in 87 cases, the minister said. So far, a total of 51 post-mortem reports have been obtained from the respective state police forces, in which the reasons for deaths have been shown as cardiac arrest / heart disease / brain hemorrhage / pre-existing chronic disease / chronic lung disease / chronic liver disease etc, said the minister.
The statement comes after the government was criticized when the Labor Ministry earlier this week informed parliament that no data is available on the number of migrant workers who lost their lives during the 68-day lockdown imposed on March 25. to stop the spread of Covid. -19.
Shramik Special trains began operating on May 1 to transport migrant workers back to their home states during the lockdown period. In total, 4,621 Shramik Special trains were operated between May 1 and August 31, carrying 6,319,000 passengers to their home states, the ministry said. The surveillance of the railways is a state matter, the prevention of crimes, the registration of cases, their investigation and the maintenance of public order in the railway facilities, as well as in the operation of the trains, are the statutory responsibility of the state governments that unload through the Railway Police of the Government (GRP) / Police of the district “, said Goyal.
“The Rail Protection Force (RPF) complements the efforts of GRP / District Police to provide better protection and security to the passenger and passenger area and for related matters,” Goyal said.
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