500 migrants gathered at Dera Bassi screening centre lathi-charged by police

The migrants had gathered outside the centre in hopes to get a berth on the trains leaving the district to their native place.

Thrown out by landlords, waiting to go back to their native place, around 500 migrants who had gathered at a government school in Dera bassi for screening were on Tuesday dispersed after police resorted to lathi charge.

Around 500 migrants were camped outside the screening centre at Dera Bassi, some from as far as Panchkula, awaiting their turn. (HT FILE)

The migrants had gathered outside the centre in hopes to get a berth on the trains leaving the district to their native place. The police said they had to use force after the migrants roughed up an official of Dera Bassi entrusted to oversee the screening of the migrants.

Dera Bassi MLA NK Sharma said, “It is unfortunate that the authorities are resorting to lathi charge forcing the migrants to sit on roadsides in scorching heat.”

He added, “All of these migrants are registered, and were waiting for their turn to get screened, but instead of facilitating their return the authorities resorted to lathi charge and even stopped the langar where these migrants were eating.”

Kuldeep Bawa, sub-divisional magistrate, Dera Bassi, said, “Even people from Panchkula were gathered here, and some even manhandled an official. Despite repeated announcements, they were not following social distancing and were, therefore, dispersed.”

Meanwhile, 147 screened migrants were sent to different districts in Uttar Pradesh in seven sanitised buses.