Lockdown Defiance: Migrant Workers Protest At Mumbai’s Bandra Station, Get Lathicharged By Cops

Mumbai: In what came as a shock to the Maharashtra government, hordes of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra police station on Tuesday afternoon protesting against the extension of lockdown and demanding they be allowed to go home. 

Media reports said the crowd also had people from the nearby slums, who came in search of food. When the crowd ignored several warnings to disperse, batons were used, the police said.

The incident raised questions about how such a huge crowd gathered despite multiple containment zones in the city.  It also raised concern about further spread of the virus. Mumbai has seen more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19, more than half of the 2,300-plus cases in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah called Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern. Such events weaken India’s fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid these, Amit Shah told the Chief Minister. He also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government.