Indian Railways' Treatment Of Migrant Workers Borders 'Barbarism': National Human Rights Commission

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretaries of Gujarat and Bihar, Railway Board Chairman in connection with the plight of the migrant workers on Shramik special trains, the lack of basic facilities in such special trains and the reported delay in reaching the destination state.

Taking suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the media reports which highlighted that the trains take days to reach their destination and "many migrant labourers lost (their) lives during the journey by train due to longer duration and no arrangements for drinking water and food etc."

Stating that the treatment of migrant workers by the Railway authorities borders have been close to barbarism, it has asked the authorities to submit a report within four weeks detailing the steps taken to ensure the basic facilities including availability of food and water to the migrants.

In its statement, the NHRC has cited media reports of migrant workers losing lives in desperation to reach home. It mentioned instance of a four-year-old boy, died in trains, en route to Muzaffarpur, Danapur, Sasaram, Gaya, Begusarai and Jehanabad in Bihar, and how a train started from Surat (Gujarat) for Siwan (Bihar) on May 16 and reached on May 25.

"A train getting late due to bad weather etc. for some hours is always considered beyond the control of the authorities, but a train getting lost during the journey, reaching unexpected destinations and taking more than a week to reach its scheduled station is hard to believe and requires a thorough investigation into the matter," the NHRC said.

"The labourers cannot be treated in such an inhuman manner, just because they are poor and the government has paid for their tickets," the NHRC said.

Also Read: Body Of Migrant Worker Who Died Four Days Ago Found In Toilet Of Shramik Special Train In Jhansi