Delhi govt asks home department to withdraw all lockdown cases against labourers

“As per the directions of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, necessary instructions (have been) issued to (the) home department to withdraw all FIRs/complaints lodged during lockdown against migrant labourers,” Jain tweeted.

State home minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said the government has issued directions to withdraw all FIRs and complaints registered against migrant labourers for alleged violation of lockdown norms.

Migrants laborers from Uttar Pradesh state and their families trying to return to their villages walk towards a bus terminal in New Delhi, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. (AP)

“As per the directions of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, necessary instructions (have been) issued to (the) home department to withdraw all FIRs/complaints lodged during lockdown against migrant labourers,” Jain tweeted.

Jain’s office however could not immediately provide data on the number of FIRs and complaints registered against migrant labourers during lockdown.

A senior official in the home department said the FIRs and complaints relate to several cases registered during the first phase of the nationwide lockdown — implemented on March 25 — which witnessed several instances of people getting booked not only for violation of social distancing norms but also for stepping outdoors for activities not enlisted as “essential” in the government’s then-applicable Covid-19 guidelines.

The first few days of the lockdown witnessed massive crowds in Anand Vihar and Delhi’s borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, largely comprising migrant labourers and their families, looking for buses to head to their villages and towns, with train services suspended. While several of them managed to get into packed buses, others decided to walk hundreds of miles. Thousands of migrants were also lodged by the government in temporary shelters set up in schools and eventually sent home through special trains in a phased manner.

“There are cases and complaints concerning migrant labourers stopped by enforcement agencies at Anand Vihar, in city borders and important junctions, and in localities across Delhi when they were found to have left for their hometowns and villages in large groups. There are also several instances of FIRs and complaints registered after confrontation between enforcement agencies and migrants spotted on roads and public spaces looking out for food,” said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

“The government can withdraw the pending complaints on their own, but to quash FIRs, they shall have to move court. We have already sought legal help on the matter,” said the senior government official.

“Delhi Police have been sympathetic and considerate towards the migrant labourers. Elaborate stay and food arrangements were made for the migrant labourers during the lockdown period, when they were facing employment problems. Arrangements were also made at Anand Vihar for their smooth passage to return home without any law and order issue. Delhi Police have been dealing sensitively with the cases registered against them during the lockdown period,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Anil Mittal.