Patna: Hapless men and animals have been left starving after the 21-day nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, and have been behaving strangely to ensure they get food somehow. This is despite the fact they have to face torture in the process.
In the past few days, hapless migrants have been left stranded on the deserted streets with nothing to eat and have been caught calling up the police officials and hurling abuses at them so that they could be sent to jail. Their logic is that they will at least get food in the custody.
Police said a youth from Bihar was left stranded in Surat, and called up Kishanganj district Superintendent of Police Ashish Kumar on Friday and started hurling abuses at him. The police official got surprised at his behaviour, but didn’t react.
The police official inquired about his problem when his abuse stopped. The youth said he, along with seven other friends from Nawada village in Bihar, are left stranded in Surat with nothing to eat. The SP contacted a person through the national association of civil servants (Bihar group) and arranged food and shelter for the starving youths.
“I could understand their pathetic condition. When their anger subsided, I asked about their problems and immediately informed the Nawada district magistrate for necessary action,” the police official said.
A similar incident took place on the streets of Patna on Thursday, shortly after midnight. A group of policemen were patrolling the streets when a youth shouted: “Sir, please arrest me and send me to jail. At least, I will not die of hunger.”
According to the youth, who was going to Bhagalpur by train from the south Indian city of Chennai, where he worked as a daily wager, he got stuck in Patna after all transport services were suspended due to the lockdown.
Even hundreds of street dogs, surviving on leftovers from hotels and residents, too have been behaving strangely due to severe food crisis caused by lockdown. The hungry streets dogs have been barking furiously since they have no food to eat.
“Dogs have turned very aggressive as they are going hungry due to lockdown,” said Bihar veterinary college’s research director Dr Ravindra Kumar. “These hotels would throw out large amount of waste food on the streets every day, which dogs feasted upon. The common residents too have nearly stopped giving leftovers. This has left dogs starving,” Dr Kumar added.
