Unemployment, not coronavirus, leaves migrant dead

A 51-year-old daily wager from Bihar, who was distressed since the textile dyeing unit at Narol shut for the lockdown, collapsed on the road and died. He leaves behind a family of eight including two sons who also lost their jobs

By Asik Banerjee

The lockdown, which has now been extended till May 3 to contain the spread of coronavirus and save lives, may have let loose another silent killer – Unemployment. The social and economic costs of unemployment have begun taking a toll on the health of the migrant workers who are the hardest hit. A 51-year-old daily wager who was left unemployed since the lockdown, collapsed and died on Sunday afternoon while on his way to LG hospital for a routine check-up. A father of four, deceased Dudhnath Bhagat lost his livelihood after the textile dyeing unit he had been working for, for the past 20 years, shut shop. His family says he was under severe financial stress as they barely had the means to pull on for another month. Bhagat, a migrant from Bihar, worked at the dyeing unit in Narol and earned around Rs 300-700 a day. Two of his sons -- Ramesh, 25, and Anil, 20 -- both electricians with a private company, were also rendered jobless because of the lockdown. They both contributed Rs 25,000 to the household though the expenditure too came up to over Rs 20,000 a month. With all three earners in the house left unemployed, Bhagat was worried sick about making ends meet for a family of eight – his wife, four sons, a daughter-inlaw and two grandchildren.



The family lives in a rented accommodation at Yadavnagar in Hatkeshwar. They wanted to go back to their hometown in Bihar, but even that was not possible, adding to Bhagat’s misery. He also has two daughters who have been married off. Anil Rajbhar, Bhagats’ landlord, said, “He could not wait for the lockdown to be lifted. It appeared that he was most distressed about feeding the family as he would go out often to check if lockdown would be lifted soon.” Bhagat’s son, Ramesh, 25, said, “We are four brothers, but our father never shared his problems with us, lest we got worried. I understood something was not okay with him when he kept telling us he wanted to build a house in our native place in Siwan, Bihar. If only we were allowed to go back to Bihar, we would not have felt so helpless. Unfortunately, the lockdown has now been extended.” He further added, “My father was desperately wanting the lockdown to be lifted so he could go back to his job. He would venture out of the house only to enquire if there was any chance that could happen soon.” On Sunday afternoon, tension was evident on Bhagat’s face, Ramesh recalls. “He has never had a health issue. On Sunday, he complained about a burning sensation in his chest. Initially, we thought it must be acidity as he was used to having rice daily, but on Sunday he had chapatis. We even gave him soda thinking he would feel better. But he vomited out the food. So, we decided to take him to the doctor.”



Ramesh and his father set out on a bicycle for a medical checkup at LG Hospital. When they reached a certain distance, his father, who was riding pillion, asked him to stop. “My father got off the cycle and said he will go all alone since he was feeling better and asked me to go back home.”

When there was no news of Bhagat for around 45 minutes, the family enquired with LG Hospital and learnt that nobody by that name had visited the OPD. Later, when they enquired with the police desk at LG Hospital, they were told that he was taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in an ambulance.

According to Khokhra police, a passer-by had spotted Bhagat lying on Jhagadia bridge and called up 108 ambulance. However, the 108 paramedics pronounced him dead. A case of accidental death was then registered with Khokhra police.