The Gujarat High Court on Thursday, directed the State Government to file within one week an affidavit on the measures taken to protect the migrant workers. Lawyer and social activist Khemchand Koshti, in a PIL, stated that more than 2 lakh migrants had fled, and sought direction to the State Government to initiate action against those involved in assaults on migrants, and politicians who delivered inflammable speeches to incite the local people.
He said more than 1 crore people from other States have settled in Gujarat, and sought compensation for the victims.
State authorities, including DGP Shivanand Jha and Ahmedabad District Collector Vikrant Pandey, claimed that most of these migrants had left on their own to celebrate festivals.
Migrants from UP and Bihar leave Gujarat before Dussehra
On the other hand, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Shaktisinh Gohil, on Friday, demanded dismissal of the Vijay Rupani Government and imposition of president’srule in Gujarat for what he claimed was the government’s failure to maintain law and order. He sought to ignore the alleged involvement of Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor and the Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena in inciting the locals against the migrants.
Alpesh denied his involvement in these incidents, and said it’s smelt “political conspiracy”.
On Friday, the migrants’ organisation Parprantiya Jan Manch has scheduled a a unity Candle in March in Ahmedabad to highlight the plight of the migrants, said Hitendra Singh Rajput, president of the organisation, in a statement.