80 Migrants Died On Shramik Special Trains Between May 9 To May 27: Railway Protection Force Report

Since the day India had announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, the country has witnessed the worst of humanitarian crisis- from poor migrant workers walking several miles without food and water to a toddler trying to wake up it's dead mother lying at a railway platform in Bihar.

With the purpose to ease the traveling of migrants and ferry them back to their home, the Railways on May 1 launched shramik special trains, with strict protocol to get on board but inadequate arrangements for availability of food and water for the passengers.

Days after the shramik trains were launched, the Indian Railways faced a lot of flak over delay of trains and death of passengers on board.

Around 80 migrants aged between 4-85 years lost their lives on board shramik trains between May 9 and May 29, according to the Railway Police Force (RPF) data.

The deaths occured across several railway zones where shramik trains was being run to ferry the migrants who were stranded in cities, back to their hometown.

In its initial few days, train pantries were not operating leading to the passengers travelling without any food and water for several days till the end of their journey. There was some food and water provided to passengers at their boarding station but reports have shown that it was not adequate enough for workers to survive on board for days.

The railways faced massive criticism after several reports and videos of passengers surfaced online complaining that they did not get any food or water, leading to the death of few other passengers due to hunger and dehydration.

After receiving this backlash, the Indian railway started distributing food and water at many major stations along with several NGOs.

Another major problem faced by passengers traveling in shramik trains was that the trains that were suuposed to reach a particular station ended up somewhere else.

A shramik train that left from Mumbai for Uttar Pradesh ended up in Odisha and the driver told passengers that the train had lost its way.

Speaking on this issue, Railway minister Piyush Goyal in a press conference said that trains haven't lost their route, they have been diverted due to congestion as 80% of the shramik trains were headed to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh itself.

In an another statement, the Railway minister appealed to vulnerable passengers including pregnant women, people with serious ailments, and those above 65 years of age to avoid traveling if not essential. "The railway parivar is committed to ensuring safety of all the passengers," the minister added.

So far, the railways has denied all the deaths due to hunger and dehydration terming them as deaths due to "chronical disease, mental health issues" or other medical reasons.