Are They Not Children of Mother India?

In India, ever since the central government announced lockdown from 24th March, public transport came to standstill within and out of the states. Migrant laborers started facing do- or- die conditions, as their livelihood was at stake. It was so painful for them, because they didn’t have either savings to meet their ends or jobs to earn a little more.

With no other choice, they ventured to walk even more than 1,000 miles to reach their home towns.  Being poor migrant laborers, they were deprived of food and   sleep during travel on foot.

They had to sleeping on roadsides without blankets or anything to protect them from fog or rain.  Adding insult to injury, police would stop at state and district boarders, question and beat them. Some have died of hunger in the middle of their journey.

As many videos on the plight of these unfortunate citizens went viral, the central government arranged transport facilities to make them reach their hometowns.  A few could use these facilities, while many are still found as pedestrians on highways. What has happened to the constitutional guarantees of equality? What mistakes have they done to face this kind of trouble?  Is being poor a crime? Is migration for making a living a crime? Let’s hope for real sunshine in their homecoming.

Priyanka Chowdhury , Student, Internship Wing,  AP College of Journalism