The UT administration stopped registration for Shramik special trains after around 5,000 migrants from Punjab and Haryana thronged the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Sector 43, Chandigarh, with valid passes, leading to chaos on Wednesday.
Police had to resort to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
“The online portal for registration was meant for migrants living in Chandigarh. However, it did not seek any valid identity proof from those applying. Sensing an opportunity, migrants from across the region applied on the portal and secured passes,” said a police official, who was on duty at the bus stand.
Police said the migrants reached the bus stand at 5am for screening and boarding the bus to the railway station.
Yashpal Garg, UT social welfare secretary, said, “People who reached the bus stand from other districts are now advised not to enter Chandigarh because their journey will be arranged by authorities of their respective districts.”
He said the online registration had been suspended and only migrants with registration numbers will be allowed.
“For the past four days, trains were carrying around 1,180 passengers in each round, but today 1,488 people were accommodated in a train as the number of migrants went beyond the prescribed limit. As the migrants included women and children, they were allowed to travel,” said a police official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to media.
{{/usCountry}}“For the past four days, trains were carrying around 1,180 passengers in each round, but today 1,488 people were accommodated in a train as the number of migrants went beyond the prescribed limit. As the migrants included women and children, they were allowed to travel,” said a police official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to media.
{{/usCountry}}With the UT administration refusing people having valid registration to board trains and asking them to return, panicked gripped the migrants, who then did not follow the social-distancing norms and rushed towards the counters.
A senior police official said, “We had no option, but to use mild force to control the crowd.”
Meanwhile, migrants claimed that the administration had intimated them about the details of their journeys. “We were only asked to show confirmation of registration and we did. But instead of being taken to the train, we were thrashed,” said Sonu, one of the migrants, who wanted to return to Bihar.