Beaten and still hungry migrants recall Bandra horror

A day after hundreds of migrant workers protested near Bandra West Railway Station many residents of Behrampada claimed that despite promises made by the civic body they didnrsquot receive any food packets on Wednesday To add to their frustration of not being able to go back home to their families many migrant workers who are mainly involved in construction activity said their employers have not paid them wages for over two monthsThey have run out of all the money they hadBehrampada is filled with hundreds of male migrant workers who work in the city for 34 months and return home for a few weeks before coming backSufiyan Ali 45 works as a site supervisor during demolition work I earn R26000 a month But my employer hasnt paid me for three months and isnt answering my calls anymore My savings are nearly over I have no relatives here who can help me People give assurances of providing food but nothing ever comes to us I am not sure if Ill survive to collect my pending salary he said Ali hails from the Malda districtMore than 2000 migrant workers had gathered at Bandra station on Tuesday seeking to go to their hometowns PicRane AshishResidents of Behrampada walked past the boards that marked the area as a containment zone on Tuesday When asked how they came to know about the protest residents said that they simply followed the crowd On Wednesday the police were seen using drones to monitor the crowdJust followed peopleNazir Shaikh 30 a resident of Shastri Nagar behind the mosque near Bandra Railway Station said that he had seen people leaving their houses At around 1 pm we saw people walking towards the Bandra station People said that there would be information about how we can go back home I went hoping that someone would tell us if we could take buses to go back home But the police charged at us and we all ran back home Many people are injured but they are afraid to step out he saidAnother resident Wazir Shaikh 25 from Katihar district of Bihar said that while he understands the situation he and other migrant workers need to go back home for their families We tried to tell the police that they could screen us and send at least those who are not ill We gathered to figure out if there was any way we could go back home he saidOn Tuesday hundreds of migrant workers had gathered near Bandra station and while some demanded food others had asked to be allowed to go back to their hometowns Things got out of hand and police lathi charged which eventually dispersed the crowd Many fell down and others ran over themSaqib Ansari 49 a local malishwala from Gorakhpur sustained bruises It is a valid concern and people came out only because they had no other way Instead of calmly explaining the situation to the people who are already going through a difficult time the police beat us up he said Ansari said that he had suffered bruises on his arm back and thighsLuck was not on 36yearold Mohsin Shaikhs side for he returned to Mumbai just two days before the lockdown was announced He is now away from his family and has no earnings My wife and two small boys survive on my salary I usually send around R10000 home But now I have no work and no money to survive or support my family he said Shaikh also hails from Malda district and is a construction workerFood is not enoughShweta Damle an activist with Habitats and Livelihood Welfare Association who works in the area said the distribution of food isnt enough In Behrampada there are around 15 lakh residents Food packets are coming but there is a requirement for more she saidCommunication issuesApart from addressing the issue of food supply Ashish Shelar local BJP MLA said that migrant workers across the city have prepaid connections and are running out of talktime on their mobiles All mobile recharge shops are closed and the workers dont have balance They have no other way of keeping in touch with their families I have written to the state government to look into the issue he saidHave increased food distributionVinayak Vispute assistant municipal commissioner of H West ward said that after the gathering they have increased the food distribution in the area Earlier we supplied around 3000 food packets in the slum area behind Bandra Railway Station and now we have increased it by another 1000 packets he saidView of the crowd from the skywalk where a man was seen resting PicturePradip DhivarAshok Khairnar assistant municipal commissioner of H East said that they have increased the supply of food packets by 1500 in Behrampada and a total of 18500 packets are being distributed to all the slums in the ward The collectorate is also supplying grocery packets in the area While people with ration cards get food grains majority of the migrant workers dont have a ration cardCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay 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