New Delhi:
Mumbai, the city with the highest cases of coronavirus, became the site of a huge protest this afternoon as hordes of migrant workers gathered outside Mumbai's Bandra station today to protest against the extension of the lockdown.
Video footage from the area showed thousands of people jostling, giving a go by to government warnings about coronavirus and social distancing. The police finally had to use batons to disperse them.
The countrywide lockdown has been extended till May 3 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement this morning.
The migrant workers, mostly daily wagers who lost their income by the three-week lockdown, have been the worst hit. The lack of any forms of transport meant most of them have not been able to go home to their villages.
Despite government promises of free food – cooked and uncooked – many have been unable to get two meals a day.
The protest comes on a day the country witnessed a huge jump in the cases of coronavirus. More than 1,400 people tested positive for coronavirus, taking the all-India figure to more than 10,000.
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