In a shocking incident, hundreds of migrant workers were forced to take bath in sodium hypochlorite solution after they arrived in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
A shocking video of the incident has emerged on Tuesday. The migrant workers in the video had returned to UP over the weekend after special buses were arranged for them.
DM Bareilly acknowledged the fact and said that treatment would be provided to the affected people and appropriate action would be taken against the officials guilty for the act, TOI reported.
He also said that municipal corporation and fire fighting teams were deployed for sanitizing the buses but the officials took this step attempting to be extra cautious.
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…”
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi criticised this act on Twitter and said that everyone is collectively fighting against this calamity and such inhuman act shouldn’t be committed.
Migrant workers are already facing enormous trouble and spraying such chemicals would endanger their lives.
The clip is being investigated, Bareilly District Magistrate said in a tweet. “Under Chief Minister’s Office’s supervision, those affected are being treated. The civic body and fire brigade team were asked to sanitise buses… but they did this because they were overzealous. Action has been initiated against officials concerned,” he wrote.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also slammed the incident and termed a “cruel and inhuman” act, asking the government to immediately look into the matter, HT reported.