Coronavirus Lockdown: Viral messages drive 7,000 to Palace Grounds in Bengaluru

Tension prevailed at Palace Grounds on Saturday as nearly 7,000 migrant workers from the north and northeastern states who are desperate to return home gathered there from the morning.

The police said the labourers had gathered at the grounds to get their train tickets, while a few were registering themselves on the Seva Sindhu portal.

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While the capacity of each train is 1,500, as determined by the central government guidelines, the workers gathered at the grounds were almost triple that number.

The huge crowd prompted the visit of Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar, who assured the labourers that they will be sent home as early as possible.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Chetan Singh Rathod told the press that a message from unknown sources had prompted the workers to gather at the grounds. Many of them were from Manipur and Odisha.

The message they received did not provide the 1,500 capacity limit in the trains. While 3,000 had gathered for trains to Manipur, 5,000 had gathered to board the Odisha train. Those who had their tickets and had requests through Seva Sindhu were allowed to travel. The rest were sent home, though a few remained scattered at Palace Grounds.

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

A senior officer from the Sadashivanagar police station deployed at the grounds said: “We did a route march, convinced many labourers to go home and return either tomorrow or (whenever) their tickets are confirmed.

“A few who feared they may not go home had stayed back at Palace Grounds. Their details have been registered at Seva Sindhu and measures have been taken to send them home.”

Mysterious message

In the crowd was Shankar A, a native of Bihar who rushed to the grounds from Bharathi Nagar after receiving a text message from someone that a train was leaving from the Cantonment railway station.

“Now, officials tell me I have to wait a day or more since I haven’t registered on the Seva Sindhu app,” he said. “Since the accommodation provided by the owner is nearby, I’ll go now and come back to get the tickets. I have given my name and other requisite documents for the ticket.”

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Preethi, a labourer residing in North Bengaluru, said she rushed with her daughter after her neighbour told her about a train to Jharkhand organised on Saturday, the tickets for which were issued at the grounds.

“But police officers are sending me back. Some local people served me food and water,” she said.

Labourers who had been issued tickets were taken to the railway stations in Chikkabanavara, Cantonment and other places by BMTC buses, while others were turned back, a traffic inspector told DH.

Ten trains from B’luru

The South Western Railway had planned 10 trains on Saturday to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states from Bengaluru. When this story was going to press, eight trains had already departed.

Officials said Shramik special services will continue so that labourers stranded in various places in the city can go home.