List of protests and incidences of lathicharge by Migrant Workers' Solidarity Network

A list of protests and incidences of lathicharge during lockdown period.

Soumya Chattopadhyay.

Migrant Workers' Solidarity Network This is very important for those who are working or writing about labor rights, human rights, civil rights.

Lockdown Phase 1 24th March to 14th April 23rd March Workers at Shahi Factory Unit 8 at Magadi Main Road, Bengaluru protested the lack of health and safety standards inside the factory.

The management gave paid leave till 31st March which they were denying earlier. 29th March Payipadu, Kottayam, Kerala - hundreds of Migrant workers took to streets demanding that they wanted to go home and proper food. *Police lathicharge* reported. Hundreds of migrant workers protest in Pattambi, Palakad in Kerala demanding the right to return to their home states and for better food. 30th March Around 500 migrant workers protested in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam Dist in Kerala demanding that they be allowed to go back home. 10th April Surat - Spontaneous protest by migrant workers, take to streets, setting fire to vehicles and handcarts. 11th April A shelter home in Delhi was set on fire at Kashmere gate after fight over food amongst workers and homeless. Hundreds of workers then moved to the banks of Yamuna and stayed there without any facilities. Cases were slapped on workers. 12th April Daily wage labourers protest at MGR street, Madurai saying they don’t have money to buy essential commodities. 13th April Nurses in Bokaro General Hospital, Jharkhand protest the unsafe working conditions under which they are forced to work, in the absence of proper sanitization and healthy standards. 14th April Hundreds of migrant workers took to streets in Mumbra, in Thane in Maharashtra, demanding that they be sent home, as house owners were demanding rents which they no longer could give. Thousands of workers gather at Bandra station, Mumbai, Maharashtra demanding they be sent home. *Police lathicharge* on workers. Lockdown Phase 2 15th April to 3rd May 15th April

Workers blocked road at Varachha area in Surat , demanding they be allowed to return to their homes. Nurses protest outside the Dr. RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai regarding security concerns after a nurse was attacked, demanding action against patient. 17th April

CITU's in Kolkata protest the non-payment of wages to Jute Mill workers during the lockdown. 28th April

At Diamond Bourse, workers gathered, damaged property and vehicles, demanding the Right to go home and against making them work during the lockdown. 29th April

Over 2000 migrant workers at IIT-Hyderabad protested against the non-payment of pending wages of 3 months and demanding that they be sent to their home states. Stone pelting and damaging of vehicle was reported. 30th April

Hundreds of workers took out a rally in Chattiparambu in Malapuram, Kerala demanding they be sent home. 1st May

Around 400 contract workers of Global Sprit staged demonstration in front of the plant demanding wages for the entire month of March at Behror, Neemrana in Rajasthan. 2nd May

Protests erupted across Chennai in Central, Velachery, Guindy, Mogappir and Pallavaram demanding that they be sent to home state. 3rd May Bomanahalli, Bengaluru Nearly 1000 construction workers protest at the Bomanahalli metro demanding food and payment and wanting to return to their homes. Stone pelting and damaging of property reported. *Police lathicharge*. Road block by migrant workers working on NTPC site at Godavarikhani, Ramagundam, Telangana demanding to arrange for train services to go back home. Tolichowki, Hyderabad, demanding money, food and right to go home. Sendhwa, Barwani in Madhya Pradesh where migrant workers gathered, blocked the National Highway. Incident of stone pelting was reported. The *police has slapped cases against 400 people*. Lockdown Phase 3 4th May to 17th May 4th May Surat Gathered outside the market in Vareli (near Kadodara tehsil of Surat) demanding that they be sent home. (dying textile units employing migrant workers) Stone pelting and *police used tear gas*. Palanpur Patia area of Surat Hundreds of migrant workers gathered at Ahmedabad demanding to be provided with hard copies of registration forms to return homes as the online registration system was not always working. Nandi, Calicut Dist, Kerala Migrant workers blocked National Highway demanding the right to return to their homestates with news of some of the Shramik Specials (Scheduled for Bihar) being cancelled reached them. The *police resorted to lathicharge* to disperse the workers. The workers also alleged that they weren’t given food, while the panchayat members denied these allegations. *Police lathi charge.* Tamil Nadu Koyambedu, Chennai As the Koyembedu market shut down due to rising Covid-19 cases in the city, migrant workers took to streets in many parts of the city demanding that they be allowed to return to their home states. A lot of the workers, engaged in loading and unloading work at the market hail from Bihar, and they gathered in front of the police station. Similar unrest was witnessed in Aminijikari, Tambaram, Pallavaram and Ambattur. At Alapakkam, over 1000 construction workers at L&W construction site protested as they were denied permission to leave. (from Bihar, Jharkand and West Bengal) Protesting since Sunday evening. Migrant Workers employed at a construction site of L&T at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli dist. protest demanding wages and food. Workers clashed with police at Kovvur in West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh. They blocked roads and demanded be sent to Home states. Stone pelting was reported. *Police have lathicharged* on workers. Construction workers on a luxury home project protested demanding the settlement of wages due for 2 months Shaikpet, Hyderabad. Migrant workers at Suncity Township at Golf course Road, in Sector 54 of Gurgaon gathered and demanded that they be allowed to return to their homes. Thousands of migrant workers gathered near BIEC at Bengaluru and blocked the Bengaluru-Tumakuru highway, demanding they be sent to their home states. 5th May Maharasthra- Workers reported harassment at local police stations in Navi Mumbai. Karnataka

The online portal for registration of stranded migrant workers willing to go home was showing "service unavailable" for two days. Workers gone impatient went to local Police Station. Police harassed them verbally and straightaway declined to provide any help/assistance. Same incidence reported from many places. A confirmed *lathicharge by Police* and physical abuse at Hebbagodi PS reported. One of the workers of our contact said that his phone was thrown inside a drain. May 7 Kerala Workers protest in three districts (Kannur, Malappuram, Ernakulam). In Ernakulam they were dispered by *lathicharge*. Karnataka A rally of approx 2000 migrant workers and family members of patients in Bangalore is reported. A tussle with Police happened.