Bengaluru: On Tuesday evening, around 2000 alleged migrants gathered at the Bandra station, Mumbai with a view to go back home.
The congregation was antithetical to the norms of lockdown as it would aid in quick spread of the coronavirus.
While the state found it next to impossible to manage the crowd, it has now emerged that the gathering is orchestrated.
As reported by Republic TV, it has accessed a video tape in which a person can be heard instructing the people not to move until they are paid Rs 15,000 or their movement is facilitated.
Though the TV doesn’t vouch for the video, it is reported that the person instructed them to gather once the media and police came around.
Here is the Republic TV link:
The video conversation goes like this:
"Has anything been decided? Is anyone coming?" Another person responds, "They said media people and police personnel will arrive, they gave the time as 4." To this, the first person replies: "4 o'clock, then why are you all standing from now, it is a bit early. Why are you here, you want to go to your native villages, talk about only this issue, and talk collectively. You say no one is listening to you. If they ask you to stay here you demand Rs 15000 and say that only then you will stay here. Do not listen otherwise."
In another development, a person who goes by the name Vinay Dubey, who is alleged to have incited the migrants through a FB post has been arrested by the Mumbai cops.
He has been booked under Sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270 and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3 of The Epidemic Diseases Act and would be produced before a local court later today.
Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has issued a fresh set of guidelines amid lockdown 2.0
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