7 Bihar labourers hired a cab to sneak out of Delhi, to go home. Their story

After days of convincing, the men had managed to convince a Toyota Innova driver to drive them to their village in Vaishali district of Bihar.

As thousands of migrant workers flocked to east Delhi’s Anand Vihar late last month in the hope of catching a bus back to their hometown, seven had remained oblivious to the developments and had stayed put inside their house in west Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar.

They had barely driven for an hour through the inner lanes of the city when their journey came to an abrupt halt. A police picket in south Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur area had spotted them. The car had to stop. (HT photo)

These seven daily wage labourers had then missed out on the slim opportunity.

Nearly three weeks later, on Thursday evening, they thought they had a fresh opportunity. After days of convincing, the men had managed to convince a Toyota Innova driver to drive them to their village in Vaishali district of Bihar.

By evening, they were ready with two bags stuffed with one set of clothes each, two kilos of beaten rice, some jaggery and two water bottles. Around 11pm, the men packed themselves into the six-seater Innova and set out on an arduous and uncertain journey towards home.

They had barely driven for an hour through the inner lanes of the city when their journey came to an abrupt halt. A police picket in south Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur area had spotted them. The car had to stop.

“Our hearts sank at that moment,” said 18-year-old Barun Kumar.

“The seven men were moved to a shelter home in Kotla Mubarakpur, where they were provided bedding and meals. The police also ensured that the advance they had paid to the driver was refunded, “ said Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (south).

The men were let off without any legal action, but the driver, Shakeel Ahmad, has been booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Act.

DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG THE LOCKDOWN WILL LAST

“We don’t know how long the lockdown will last. It may continue for three months or may go on for six months,” said 40-year-old Anil Rai.

The men had decided to return to their village after the lockdown would end on April 14. Their house owner had waived off their rent and helped them with rations. But on Tuesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown was going to be extended till May 3, the desperation grew. They visited Labour chowk near their home, but couldn’t find any work.

“Back in our village, the wheat crop is ready and waiting to be harvested. It would go waste if we don’t return home. Every year, we spend two months in the village to harvest the crop, but this time we couldn’t make it. Our families kept urging us to return home,” said Rai.

After the lockdown was extended,they started looking for any vehicle that would take them home. On Thursday, they found one driver, Shakeel Ahmad, who was willing to drive them home.

He wanted Rs 37,000 for 1,000-odd ride to Patna. From there, they were ready to walk the next 30-40 km to their village in Vaishali.

BORROWED MONEY

“We borrowed money on interest from someone in our village. He transferred the money to a shopkeeper in Raghubir Nagar and we paid a commission to him to get the cash,” said 28-year-old Teni Rai.

An advance of Rs 7,500 was paid to the driver, with a promise to pay the remaining amount once they reached Patna.

“In all, we had Rs 500 cash in our pockets,” said Rai.

The seven hadn’t really thought through their plan. For one, how would they get past the many check-posts that have been erected along the national highways and state roads. “The driver told us that it was his responsibility (to get us through the police checking,” said Teni. They wanted to believe him. They did.

According to a senior police officer, the driver had planned to steer clear of the main roads and drive through the city’s colony lanes at night.

“He planned to take offbeat routes while travelling through Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” said the police officer. It would probably add some 200 km to their journey. So be it, they said.

They had planned to mainly travel at night to avoid detection. They had calculated that it would take them three days to reach home. It seemed worth it.

“Right now, we are just thankful we didn’t lose the advance we paid to the driver,” said one of them, Karu Rai.