Priyanka urges UP govt to not treat migrant workers inhumanely

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday hit out at the UP government, accusing it of spraying chemicals on migrant labourers, and said it should not treat them inhumanely.

She shared a video of government functionaries spraying water allegedly filled with chemicals at the labourers huddled together on a roadside.

"UP government is requested to not do such an inhuman work as we all are together in the fight against this disaster. The workers have already suffered a lot. Do not bathe them like this with chemicals. This will not save them but will create more problems to their health," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

The incident was reported from Bareilly and TV channels showed a video of it. Reports said several migrants, including women and children, complained of a sensation in their eyes after the incident.

After criticism, Bareilly District Magistrate Nitish Kumar said action has been initiated against the personnel.

"The affected persons are being treated under the supervision of Chief Medical Officer. Teams of Bareilly municipal corporation and fire brigade were asked to sanitise the bus but due to over-activeness, they did that. Orders have been issued to take action against the concerned," the DM tweeted.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has asked the DM to submit a report within three days.

A large number of migrant labourers have been leaving their workplaces in parts of the country and walking down to their native places, hundreds of kilometres away, due to the lockdown imposed to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.