Watch: Migrant workers throw out stale food served to them on a train in Asansol, West Bengal
The incident took place on a special train run by the Railways to help stranded migrant workers reach their homes.
A video of migrant workers throwing food off a train at Asansol Railway Station in West Bengal has shown the continued misery of migrant workers amidst a nationwide lockdown in India. The workers, who were travelling to Danapur in Bihar from Ernakulam in Kerala, were passing Asansol when they were served cooked food and water.
Many migrant workers complained that the food was stale and threw it on the platform, The Quint reported. “Continue discharging your duty like this while we die for food,” one worker can be heard yelling from the train to the policemen stationed at the platform. Some workers also complained of a foul smell emanating from the food. Quoting the Railways, The Quint report said that the incident took place on May 4.
“The food arrangement was made by IRCTC,” Eastern Railways Public Relations Officer Ekalabya Chakraborty was quoted as saying. “In some coaches, it was reported that the food was not up to the mark. There is no question of denial. There were problems with the food. Because of the paucity of time, we couldn’t rectify it at the Asansol station itself. However, we arranged for food again in the next station.”