Anxious migrants jostle for ration in Ludhiana
LUDHIANA: Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at Field Gunj area of Ludhiana on Sunday as hundreds of residents, predominately migrants, jostled with each other to grab a bag of raw ration being distributed by district administration authorities.The situation got so out of control that police had to use mild lathicharge to control the crowd. The migrants had assembled there to collect the ration sought through the district administration’s helpline 1905.
Most of them said that they had run out of all supplies and their children had been sleeping on an empty stomach for several days. “We can endure the pain of the lathi but can’t beat to see our children crying for food. Aren’t we human? The authorities should understand our plight,” he said.
A police officer, who was on crowd control, while expressing his helplessness said that such scenes have become a routine. “People swam at the place where ration is being distributed. We feel bad that we have to use the stick but we have no other option,” said the cop deployed at Amarpura.
MAN ENDS LIFE
A 38-year-old migrant in Ludhiana ended his life by hanging himself with a grill of a skylight at his rented accommodation on Saturday. While the victim’s kin say he ended his life as he was unable to arrange ration for his family, police said some personal problems prompted him to take the extreme step. Inquest proceedings have been initiated.