Migrants resort to violence near Madhya Pradesh border over food, transportation scarcity

According to TV reports, the migrants started screaming and throwing stones at the police deployed in the area alleging that the Madhya Pradesh government made no arrangements for food or transportation for them.

"People here are travelling with month-old babies. The Maharashtra government sent us till here, but the MP government is extending no help to us. We have been here since last night, hungry and thirsty," said Sailesh Tripathi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

They have also alleged that the area has no security since the highway is surrounded by jungle.

According to reports, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to the people to be patient.

The biggest challenge for this government is that not only they have to make arrangements for the incoming migrants from other states but have to take care of the or travelling to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

This is not the first time the city witnessed such violent agitation as on May 3, a thousand workers staged protest in Barwani after the district was sealed.

Demanding that they be allowed to enter and reach their villages, the labourers had blocked the Agra-Mumbai national highway.

Since the announcement of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, the worst-hit had been the migrants, who were left jobless and shelterless. From the very first phase of lockdown, the country has been witnessing disturbing accounts of migrants flouting social distancing norms and walking hundreds of kilometres only to reach their hometowns.

Later the Centre arranged for special buses and trains to ferry these migrants back home.