Coronavirus: Indian migrant worker Yaqoob refused to leave his dying friend Ramcharan by the roadside, dumped there because of fear of COVID-19

A migrant worker from the Indian state of Odisha was allegedly beaten to death on May 15, by Gujarat cops, for violating social distancing norms during the COVID-19 lockdown. As India extends its lockdown to May 31, Indian Twitter users are angry about police brutality, that jobless poor migrant workers have to face every day, as they try to head back to the villages.

Tweeps are using hashtag #MigrantLivesMatter to share stories of unfair treatment of the India’s migrant labourers.

Many shared reports about the deceased, who was identified as Satya Swain. He had gone to a police station to register to travel on trains arranged for the transportation of migrant workers

Swain, who was from Odisha’s Ganjam district, had been working in Surat for the past two years. According to a report on indiatoday.com, he had accompanied by few other migrant workers, had assembled in front of the local police station as registration was mandatory for train travel to their respective states.

Reportedly, the cops rebuked their requests and in a bid to drive away the people the forces charged at them. The group dispersed and rushed into their respective quarters.

The police personnel entered the house where Swain was staying with other workers, and indiscriminately beat them up.

They were then hauled up to Amroli police station for reportedly “violating social distancing norms”.

Tagging the Indian Prime Minister and other lawmakers @Mohankhatry posted: “@PMOIndia, @HMOIndia, @narendramodi, @AmitShah

Sir, we understand the situation of government, center…. Please instruct respective police of all states to at least not beat these migrants labourers traveling with kids and families.”

Tweep @PCNIMTWEET posted: “It is a game plan to ask permission from states to run trains, ban National Highways and police beat [them] if the migrant workers along with old, sick and incapacitated family members, and children want go on foot through fields, rivers, and forests to their homes which are hundreds miles away.

Swain, who was among those who were beaten, reportedly, succumbed to the injuries while being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

The worker who is in his 30s, is survived by his wife and a five-year-old son of determination.

Migrant worker dumped on the roadside

Twitter users shared updates about another photograph that had gone viral a couple of days back. It showed a young migrant labourer, who was dumped along the roadside by fellow travellers in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district after falling sick during a journey from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh in a truck.

Reportedly, the 24-year-old migrant worker, Amrit Ramcharan, died while undergoing treatment at the district hospital on Saturday.

Highlighting that the government had failed Indian citizens, tweep @AppaRaoUpputuri posted: “It shows bad and inefficient administration by both central and state governments, in dealing with the coronavirus crisis. Putting people under a lockdown by denial of fundamental rights of citizens, seems like failure to address the crisis, very unfortunate.”

Samples of the deceased, Amrit Ramcharan, and his friend Mohammad Yaqoob have been sent for COVID-19 testing, Shivpuri civil surgeon Dr P.K. Khare said.

A photograph of a distraught Yaqoob, sitting by the roadside while cradling the head of a visibly ill Ramcharan in his lap, had gone viral on social media over the weekend.

According to Yaqoob, both he and Ramcharan worked together in a weaving unit in Surat. They had taken a truck along with several others to go to their village in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh.

However, on the way, Ramcharan fell ill and since he had fever, the fellow travellers suspected him to be infected with COVID-19 and decided to dump him on the Kolaras bypass on Shivpuri-Jhansi highway on Friday afternoon.

Yaqoob, who had also paid for the trip, decided to stay back with his friend whose condition was deteriorating. He cried as he sat on the Kolaras bypass, urging people to help.

Some social workers helped and took them to a local hospital, from where Ramcharan was referred to the Shivpuri district hospital.

He was put on ventilator, but died that night.

According to a doctor at the hospital, Ramcharan had high fever and was also vomiting. The apparent symptoms are of severe heat-led complications, but things will become clear after the COVID-19 test results are available, he added.

Yaqoob has also been quarantined in the isolation ward of the hospital as his test result is pending.

Truck drivers exploit poor workers

The duo had, apparently, paid Rs4,000 each, to travel on the truck. Another issue that Twitter users are highlighting is the blatant exploitation of the poor migrant workers, as they decide to travel on trucks due to the low frequency of the number of Shramik trains. Apparently, migrant workers have to wait a long time before getting a ticket on of the trains.

A video report by ndtv.com went viral today, showing a truck driver charging Rs2000 (Dh96) per person to take the workers to their villages. Considering the number of people on the truck, it would add up to over Rs100,000 (Dh4,840.60)

Tweep @PRAKASH_JOSHI01 said this was a common now: “This happen in Delhi also they charged Rs5000 (Dh242) per person and some private buses owner charged Rs6000 (Dh290) per person.”

However, tweep @Yusuf88930622 said the truck drivers were not exactly to blame: “If government can’t take them to their home, and they are ready to pay. Why should we blame the truck driver….”