Gujarat: Stranded Migrant Workers Clash With Police in Surat

SURAT: Scores of migrant workers seeking to return home clashed with police and pelted stones at them here on Monday. Security personnel, in retaliation, lobbed teargas shells and baton-charged the agitated workers.

The incident took place near Vareli village on the outskirts of Surat. The labourers also damaged some vehicles parked on Surat-Kadodara road, police said.

This is fourth such incident in the migrant hub city.

Police said the situation was later brought under control and security was stepped up in the area.

RAJKOT

In Rajkot, hundreds of migrant workers came out on road in Shapar-Veraval industrial area on the city outskirts, demanding that they be sent back home.

Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-1) Ravi Mohan Saini said police reached out to the migrants later and got the situation under control.

"We have proactively reached out to migrants in their residential localities and have explained to them that they will be allowed to leave in vehicles that they themselves arrange after getting a medical checkup done and completing other formalities," Saini said.

PANDESARA LOCALITY, SURAT

Besides this, in another incident, several migrant workers in Pandesara locality of Surat got their heads tonsured after being unable to leave for their native places in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

They claimed that two days back their buses were given permission to leave Gujarat. But, later they were stopped at Kosamba in Surat by local administration officials due to lack of "valid permission" and asked to go back. The workers said they have been waiting endlessly for the administration to clear their journey back home.

One of them said the money they arranged for the bus fare after lot of hardships has not been returned to them, and demanded that governments of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat co- ordinate their travel back home without delay.

"Many of us sold off our watches and mobile phones to arrange for the bus fare. Now we are still at the same place, with no permission given to our buses to move. We are stranded here with no help from officials. We demand the governments of the two states to coordinate fast for our return back home," he was quoted saying to a news agency.

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