Workers look on as police patrol an area adjoining Bandra (West). (Express Photo-Nirmal Harindran)

A DAY after 2,000 migrant workers gathered outside Mumbai’s suburban Bandra railway station, a strict police bandobast was put in place in the area with severe restriction on movement of local residents.

A police van stood guard below the foot overbridge where hundreds of workers had assembled Tuesday demanding transport to reach their home states. Policemen were also posted at the entry of Shastri Nagar and Maharashtra Nagar at Bandra West, the areas from where most of the migrant workers had come from.

“Police are not allowing anyone to step out of our houses today. We usually cross the bridge and walk over to Shastri Nagar from Behrampada (at Bandra East) as we do not get food here. Today, the police have asked everyone to stay indoors. We had kept some money aside for our journey back home. We used it today to buy some rice and potatoes for lunch and dinner. We do not know what we will do tomorrow,” says Shahid Anwar, a construction worker and native of Malda in West Bengal.

On Tuesday, Anwar says he had received a call from an acquaintance who claimed there was a meeting at the railway station where the authorities would note down names of workers and decide on their transport requirements so that they can go home during the lockdown.

A few other workers, who had also reached Bandra station a day ago, said they had either received calls or followed others.

“We were told that some discussion would be held to decide on out transportation. We went to see what it was about. We did not see any videos or receive any calls or messages. Since many were going, we did not want to be left behind in case it was about registering our names for going home. Once we reached there we saw a large crowd,” said Mohsin Shaikh (36), also a construction worker.

A native of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Sakib Ansari says he works as a masseur in the city and does not have a roof over his head. “I live on a lane opposite the station and had joined the crowd to see what was happening. When the police began lathicharge, everyone started to run. As I tripped over another man, I received multiple blows,” Ansari says. With no medical help possible, Ansari says he has bought an ointment from a local medical shop and applied on his bruises.

Most of the migrant workers, who had gathered outside the suburban railway station Tuesday, complained about the lack of access to food and ration. Forced to share their cramped rented rooms with eight to 10 others and use common public toilets, the men said they more vulnerable to the coronavirus here and should be allowed to go home.

On Wednesday, the local authorities, including police officials, assured them that food would be provided and they would  be moved to shelter homes if required. “I was to be paid Rs 22,000 by the contractor for the work I did last month. That would have helped me get by with the expenses now. But he has not been reachable on the phone. We have to pay Rs 1,000 in the first week of May as rent for the room I share with 13 others. How can we pay if there is no work?” Sham Mohammed, another construction worker, says.

A BMC official, meanwhile, said that they have not received any demand to shift workers from the area to any shelter home yet. “We have, however, made preliminary arrangements in the ward to shift 100 people. Since Tuesday night, we have distributed 4,000 readymade food packets,” the official said.