Bhubaneswar: Amid the disturbing reports of the plight of lakhs of migrant labourers stuck in different parts of the country, the death of an Odia migrant after being allegedly beaten up by police in Surat has shaken the State and raised serious concerns over the safety of stranded migrants amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
Satyaban Swain, a resident of Baruda village in Bhanjanagar police limits of Ganjam district succumbed to injuries that he allegedly suffered following a lathi-charge by police in Surat.
According to sources, Satyaban was working in a factory in Surat and he had got stuck there after the nationwide lockdown came into force. Left with no job and money, he decided to return to his native land.
On Thursday, he had reportedly gone to arrange ticket to return home. There was a heavy rush of migrants and the police there reportedly resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Satyaban ran for his life and entered into the premises of a factory. However, police allegedly chased and thrashed him brutally.
Some acquaintances later rescued Satyaban and shifted him to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to the injuries.
Satyaban is survived by his wife, Pratima and a seven-year-old son. Pratima is reportedly inconsolable after losing her husband.
“I called him at night and found her cell phone to be switched off. When I dialled one of his acquaintances, he informed me that that police assaulted my husband and he was in the hospital,” the bereaved wife said.
She demanded suspension of the errant cops and government help for survival.
“Police picked him up from the factory premises and brutally thrashed him. He died en route to the hospital. The police and the administration are responsible for his death,” alleged Santosh Kumar Swain, brother of the deceased.
He also questioned the arrangements made by the State government for the return of migrants. “Arrangement of a handful of trains for the return of around seven lakhs of migrants is not going to help; it will take at least six months for all to return to Odisha,” he said.