Coronavirus Outbreak: Migrant workers clash with police in Gujarat's Surat, demand to be sent home; over 100 detained

Surat: Hundreds of migrant workers came onto the streets and clashed with the police at a village in Surat district of Gujarat on Saturday to demand that they either be sent back to their home states or allowed to resume work at local industrial units to earn money, police said. The police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas to disperse the mob. Over a 100 workers were detained in this connection, an official said. The incident took place at Mora village near industrial town of Hazira. “Over 100 workers were detained after they took to the streets, demanding that they either be sent back home or allowed to work at the industrial units they were employed at in Hazira and paid salaries,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Sector 2) DN Patel said.

At around 8 am today, around 500-1000 people gathered here demanding they be sent back to their respective states. Reasonable force was used, around 55-60 were arrested, and around 50-60 have also been detained: D N Patel, Surat Joint Commissioner of Police https://t.co/HShbJ5Zw9y pic.twitter.com/bT8V5piinw

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2020

Follow latest updates on coronavirus outbreak Protesting workers came out of their homes in the workers’ colony at Mora village and started walking in a large group towards Hazira industrial area, he said. The migrants demanded that the district administration should arrange for their return to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and other states, Patel said. “Some workers hurled stones at the police, after which four tear gas shells were lobbed and we had to resort to baton charge to control the unruly mob,” Patel said. Cases were being registered on the basis on CCTV footage from the area, the senior official said, adding that the situation was currently under control.