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On Friday, 16 migrant workers were crushed to death while sleeping on a freight train in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra at 5:20 a.m. Of the 20 workers in the group, one is injured and three others are safe.
First comment He spoke to Virendra Singh Gond, 27, one of the migrant workers who managed to escape the horrible incident.
“I stayed behind because I had blisters on the bottom of my foot and couldn’t keep up with the rest,” said Virendra. “I told the others to keep going.”
They worked at a private steel company in the Jalna district, 60 kilometers from Aurangabad. The company had not paid its wages since the shutdown, said Virendra, who comes from the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, 1,500 kilometers from Jalna. Six of the dead came from Umaria. The rest belonged to the Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh.
“We have food in Jalna,” said Virendra. “But how long could we wait? We had to see our families at home. They were concerned about us. “
Then the workers started walking towards the Aurangabad station, from where they expected to take the train to Madhya Pradesh. If they had not been able to board the train in Aurangabad, they planned to walk further to Bhusawal station, local journalist Shrikant Pofale said.
The idea of walking on the train track arose from two factors: one can avoid being mistreated at the police checkpoints on the road, and they thought that the trains were not working, so it is a safe bet.
“We started walking at 7pm,” said Virendra. “We walked all night.”
The workers walked to the Aurangabad station, from where they expected to take the train to Madhya Pradesh. News18
Some 40 kilometers later, near the town of Karmad in Aurangabad, the workers decided to take a break. Deputy Police Inspector SS Sutale, Karmad Police Station, said initial conversations with workers who escaped the tragedy suggested they did not want to sleep on the train track. “First of all, they did not know that freight trains are working,” he said. And second, they didn’t want to sleep. They were tired. They sat down to take a break and fell asleep.
Exhausted workers were too asleep to hear the sound of an approaching freight train. Fourteen died immediately. Two succumbed later. One is hurt. And two survived. The two slept next to the track, and not on it, Sutale said.
Virendra, who was behind the group, was awake due to the blisters. He said that when he heard the horn of the train, he feared the worst. “I ran to them, but it was too late,” he said. “The train had run over them.”
When Virendra arrived at the scene, she saw the mutilated, disfigured and mutilated bodies of her coworkers. All of whom were between 20 and 30 years old. The images of the place went viral on social networks after sunrise. Workers’ belongings scattered along the railroad track. Their clothes, wallets, and groceries scattered.
The workers belonged to Shahdol and Umaria, two of the most backward districts of Madhya Pradesh. They were adivasis. And their main source of income was work. Virendra said that she has a small land in her country, but that the family cannot support herself without work, so she emigrated from Madhya Pradesh.
Since Prime Minister Modi announced a national blockade on March 25 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, thousands of migrant workers have been stranded in India. Out of work, out of money and depending on charity for food, a helpless workforce that navigates government apathy has been trying to find a way back to their villages by all possible means. They want to be with their families at this time of the crisis.
On April 29, the Interior Ministry issued an order allowing the movement of stranded migrant workers. In early May, Indian Railways launched special “Shramik” trains to transport them home. To secure passage, immigrants in Maharashtra must pick up a form from the local police station, fill it out with their details and destination.
The initial order also required workers to obtain a health certificate stating that they do not have flu-like symptoms. But when that led to confusion, the state government said the workers would be evaluated before the trip. Once they submitted their details, they were to wait for a call from the police station. However, migrant workers across the country have run out of patience and have little faith in the authorities.
Those crushed by the freight train at Aurangabad were no different.
Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed his regret over the incident and announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased. “Today’s accident in Aurangabad was painful. I ask migrant workers not to worry. We are in contact with various states. Please be patient for a few more days. The Maharashtra government is with you,” Uddhav said in a statement. on Friday.
After the accident, the chief rail safety commissioner wrote to the chairman of the rail board asking him to make sure “a lot of precaution” is taken so that such accidents do not occur in the future, according to Hindustan Times report.
Sutale said the workers who survived the accident were in shock. “They’re helping us with the autopsy,” he said. “The bodies were crushed, and you need someone to identify them.”
At the end of the day, when the bodies were shipped to Madhya Pradesh from Aurangabad, Sutale said that everyone at the scene was shocked. Ironically, the bodies were loaded onto the same special train that workers hoped to catch to get home.
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