Andhra Pradesh cops ‘dump’ guest workers back in Tamil Nadu

On Sunday morning, at Sullurpetai in Nellore, a couple of activists who were distributing food to the migrant workers, saw police convincing them to get into a truck. “We had distributed food to the migrant workers who were walking on the road. Thereafter, police instructed all of them to get on the lorries despite their resistance and ferried them to the Red Hills area in TN. We followed them till the border check post, after which we had to return,” said Akshay Jain.

He said throughout the exercise, the AP police lied to them saying they were taking the workers to a local revenue office in Tada for transport registration, but instead took them across the border.

This was also confirmed by a worker who was sent back. “The AP police promised to take us to Tada for some registration and also promised to arrange further transportation to UP and other destinations. But they brought us back to where we started,” said Sathish, a native of Kanpur in UP.

“They just dropped us on the road and drove away,” said Sathish, adding: “This is the second time I am being brought back. I have been walking and walking. Really don’t know what to do now.”

When asked if he and his group had been staying in a migrant workers’ camp, he replied in negative. “We have been staying in our own room. A couple of police officials came and made some enquiries,” he said when asked if the authorities are aware of their plight.

He also said his group had not faced any shortage of food. “But most of us don’t know what to do now to reach our home, be it in UP, Bihar or Odisha,” he said.