Thousands of migrant workers protested at the central railway station in Mangaluru on Friday, after they were informed that a special train will ferry them back to their natives.

Most of these migrant labourers are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are stuck in the city without jobs and essentials, the Police deployed in the area said. Workers said if the special trains will not be run immediately, they would go home on foot. They sat on dharna, holding a banner in their hands stating ‘We want to go home’.

They refused to go back despite the appeals by the Police. However, the situation was later pacified, after the senior police officials reached the area, assuring them the arrangements for their return.

The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to run special trains from May 8, till May 15, after facing an outrage over cancellation of trains by the opposition and many workers’ associations, and has written to the respective nine states to seek approval for the same.

It may be noted that due to the implementation of the lockdown, migrant labourers have been trapped in various areas across the country. The government has started operating Shramik Special trains for the migrants, however, many have decided to walk towards their natives.

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