Migrants given ‘chemical bath’ in Bareilly; probe on
BAREILLY:The Bareilly administration ordered an inquiry after a group of migrant workers, who arrived in the Uttar Pradesh town after a 21-day nationwide lockdown took effect on March 25 to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus disease (Covid-19), were made to squat on a road and sprayed with chlorine-mixed water on Monday.
A video of the incident, which took place near a bus station, surfaced on Twitter, sparking outrage among a section of opposition leaders and social media users. The video showed people, including children, herded in one corner of the road being sprayed with the disinfectant. Some Twitter users alleged that the workers were given a “chemical bath”.
Ashok Gautam, the nodal officer in-charge of the Covid-19 mitigation group, confirmed that the migrants were sprayed with chlorine-mixed water, but maintained the step was necessary to contain a possible spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which is causing the deadly infection.
“We tried to keep them safe and asked them to shut their eyes,” Gautam said. “It’s natural they will get wet.”
District magistrate Nitish Kumar said some officials may have crossed the line in the sanitisation drive involving the workers who arrived in special buses run by the government.
“We have looked into the video. Teams of Bareilly Nagar Nigam (civic body) and fire brigade were asked to sanitise buses. But they went overboard. We have ordered action against the concerned people. Those affected are being treated under the guidance of CMO (chief medical officer),” he tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said the administration had received orders to carry out medical check-ups on all people entering the city.
Action against officials involved in the incident will be taken on the basis of the inquiry report, according to people with knowledge of the matter who didn’t want to be named.
Girish Makker, a doctor in Bareilly, said: “Depending on the level of chlorine (mixed with water), it can cause burning and itching if applied on skin.”
Mohd Afzal, who was among the workers, said, “About 50 of us were sitting and waiting for food at the bus adda when some men in protective suits came and began spraying water on us. They said that they were from the sanitisation team and were sanitising us. The children began crying...”
Afzal, who worked in a courier company in Noida and is a resident of Shahjahanpur, said the children complained of itching in their eyes, while some developed rashes. “...most of us left Bareilly and decided to continue our journey on foot,” he said.
According to estimates, over 25,000 migrant workers from other cities have arrived in Bareilly so far, according to a district administration official.
Reacting to the Bareilly incident, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted: “Request the UP government to refrain from such inhuman act when we all are fighting this pandemic. Workers have already suffered a lot. Please don’t bathe them in chemicals. It will not help them but will create more problems to their health.”
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati criticised what she termed a “cruel and inhuman” act, asking the government to immediately look into the matter.