Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Friday termed as "murder" the death of 16 migrant workers, who were run over by a goods train in Maharashtra.
He also demanded that criminal cases be filed against the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Railway Ministry and the Maharashtra government for "ignoring the plight of thousands of stranded workers".
Sixteen migrant workers sleeping on rail tracks while returning to Madhya Pradesh were crushed to death by a goods train in Aurangabad district on Friday. Four others narrowly escaped death as they were resting nearby. The accident which took place at 5.15 am near Karmad, around 30 kms from Aurangabad, police said.
"The death of 16 migrant workers is a case of murder," Jaleel said in a statement. "Criminal offences should be registered against the
PMO, the Railway Ministry and the state government for ignoring the plight thousands of the stranded workers," he added.
"I had personally tweeted to the PMO, the railway ministry and Maharashtra Chief Minister (Uddhav Thackeray) the video footages of migrants either walking or cycling all the way to their respective states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal or Jharkhand. But they were completely ignored," he said.
"The government has been a mute spectator to the sufferings of the poor, who just wanted to go back to their families," he said.
"If the government can prepare airline schedules to bring back the stranded Indians from abroad, then why can't it arrange either trains or buses to ferry its own people in the country?" the MP said.
He added that thousands of migrants are still stranded in Aurangabad and they should be sent back to their respective states at the earliest by arranging special trains. He also termed as "farce" the inquiry ordered by the railway ministry into the accident.
Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati said the deaths were a result of the "insensitive attitude" of the Centre and state government and demanded that better arrangements be made for workers returning home.
She also accused the Centre and state governments of ill-treating migrant labourers. "On Friday, a number of labourers were killed in Maharashtra. This is result of the insensitive attitude of the Centre and State government. Government should give financial help and job to family of such labourers," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
"Migrant labourers should be sent to their home through trains and buses. The government is realising money from them by selling tickets while showing mercy to the rich. The wards of rich, who went for coaching and foreign countries for their work, are being provided bus and flights but there are no arrangements for the poor," she said.
Comments
0 comment