Covid-19 lockdown: Crowd cleared, migrants headed home packed off to Lal Kuan from Anand Vihar

Hundreds of thousands of migrants, who had flocked to Anand Vihar in Delhi over the last two days with the hope of catching a bus back to their hometowns, were evicted

Hundreds of thousands of migrants, who had flocked to Anand Vihar in Delhi over the last two days with the hope of catching a bus back to their hometowns, were evicted by police and paramilitary personnel and either sent to Lal Kuan bus stand in Ghaziabad or made to walk to their homes. Security officials on Sunday also stopped more people from reaching the spot.

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By 3 pm on Sunday, there was little on the road to suggest that a sea of migrants had assembled there in the last 48 hours. Only some DTC buses, a host of police and paramilitary personnel and a handful of migrants — who were either undecided or confused about where to go — were seen ambling around at the spot.

After allowing the thousands of migrants to catch buses from Kaushambi till Sunday morning, the police closed all entry points to the bus terminal and that to Anand Vihar. The remaining migrants were hurriedly packed into DTC and private buses, which had been arranged to ferry them to Lal Kuan from where they could take buses to their hometowns.

CONFUSION AND COMPLIANCE

While many hurriedly complied and jumped on to the last few buses to Lal Kuan, others were unsure. “Where is Lal Kuan? What happens after we reach Lal Kuan?” asked Sanjeet Singh, a cook, who was trying to reach his home in Jaunpur to a policeman waving a stick nearby.

“You reach Lal Kuan first. In a few minutes, you won’t have that option either,” the policeman retorted.

Another policeman used a loudhailer to urge the people to board buses quickly. “I have been separated from my family. I don’t know if they have boarded a bus or are still left behind,” said a rickshaw puller, Asim Parvez, as he looked around helplessly.

He was assured that his family was on their way to Lal Kuan. Parvez broke down, but boarded a bus.

SOME ABANDONED PLANS

There were a few who decided to abandon their plans to return home when the entry of migrants to Kaushambi was stopped. “It took us six hours to walk from Mundka to Anand Vihar. Someone had read on the internet that buses were available from Kaushambi, so we decided to walk all the way till here. We are unsure if we will be allowed to board buses from Lal Kuan again. It is better to return to our home in Delhi than risk getting stuck at an unknown place,” said Anjali Kumari, who wanted to return to her hometown in Jahanabad in Bihar.

Many people said they were unsure how long the lockdown would continue. “April 14 is the deadline given by the government. But who can assure us that the lockdown won’t continue? I prefer to be at my village where at least I’ll find food and won’t have to pay rent,” said Rajan Kumar, a mason who lived in Okhla and was headed to Nainital.

NEWS OF BUSES BROUGHT THEM HERE

Kumar said that he had seen news of buses leaving from Kaushambi on a neighbour’s television and decided to head to Anand Vihar. He informed all the people he knew and together they set out in a large group.

Many of the workers moved to Anand Vihar when they learnt on social media and on television that buses were being operated from Kaushambi. Thos who reached Anand Vihar first made sure to call up the others and inform them to come.

While many people said they weren’t aware of government arranging food for them in Delhi to stop them from going home, there were some who said that they didn’t want the government’s help.

Mansaram, who earns his living by polishing marbles in Kakrdooma, said he had a bad experience when he went to eat at a food distribution centre near his home. “There were hundreds of people lined up there. The police were beating up anyone who broke the queue. I too got beaten up. How many days will I keep worrying about food and keep getting beaten up,” asked Mansaram.

Then there were people who said it wasn’t possible to continue living in Delhi without a source of income.

“My landlord in Bindapur has three rooms, which he has rented out to labourers like us. He is jobless and his entire family survives on the rent we pay. As he knew we won’t be able to pay rent for the next month, he asked us to return to our homes,” said Chander Prakash, a mason from Saharsa in Bihar.

BETTER PREPARED

At Anand Vihar, the police appeared better prepared to handle the crowd on Sunday, than they were earlier. More than 400 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed there on Sunday and they went about urging people to stand away from each other even while entering buses. Everyone present was urged to wear masks.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Jasmeet Singh said that seven companies of paramilitary forces and all the staff of the local police stations were deployed in and around the Anand Vihar bus terminal on Saturday night.

“We were constantly coordinating with other agencies to arrange buses, food, water, masks and sanitisers for people. As the number of migrants started increasing, five additional companies of paramilitary staff were called in. Many people were kept at two schools near the Ghazipur container depot. Our staff ensured that nobody remained hungry,” said DCP Singh.

The migrants, who mostly went hungry and thirsty on Saturday, also found help from several Good Samaritans on Sunday who brought home-cooked meals and water for them.