Gujarat government to withdraw over 500 cases of lockdown violation filed against migrant workers

Ahmedabad, July 01: The Gujarat government on Thursday said it has decided to withdraw more than 500 police cases that were filed against migrant labourers last year for defying the lockdown-related rules that were brought into force due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, said that weeks after the nationwide lockdown was announced in March last year to stem the spread of coronavirus, several labourers from other states started returning home instead of staying back, which was a violation of the rules.

At that time, police in different districts of Gujarat had registered cases related to lockdown violations against these migrant workers, he said.

Now, showing a lenient approach, the state government has decided to withdraw 515 of these cases, Jadeja said, adding that the public prosecutors concerned would be given instructions soon to start the process of withdrawal of cases.

Although some migrant workers were also booked on the charges of arson and rioting at that time, especially in Surat city, the statement issued by Jadeja does not make it clear if such cases will also be withdrawn.

The minister added the state government had sent back 24 lakh migrants to their native places by special trains and other modes of transport during the lockdown. The state government had also arranged free food and distributed free ration to the stranded migrant workers, he said.