Police deployment in Hazira after the stone-pelting on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Hanif Malek)

Hundreds of migrant labourers working in the Hazira industrial belt hit the streets at Mora village on the outskirts of Surat Saturday, demanding that they been sent to their hometowns.

The protesting workers clashed with the police. Police resorted to lathicharge and firing of teargas shells to disperse the mob. About a hundred workers have been detained, police said.

The coastal belt of Hazira has several multinational companies where these migrants work. They live in rented rooms in Mora village. Seeing several migrants returning to their home states in trains and buses, these workers also demanded to be sent home, police said. When the police asked them to go back, they threw stones, police said.

Police have lodged a complaint under charges of rioting, attack on police, damage to public property and under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Joint Police Commissioner D N Patel said, “These migrant workers are from Jharkhand, Bihar and UP and some from Odisha and they wanted to go back to their home states. Our officers tried to talk to them but they did not co-operate and threw stones at policemen. Hundred workers have been detained and the situation is under control now. As per the guidelines, all the arrested workers will be medically examined. Two policemen have suffered minor injuries in the stone-pelting.”

Surat has seen four such migrant protests since the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 came into force.