Scores of migrant labourers gathered at the Kannur town railway station on Monday morning, demanding to go to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh.
These labourers from UP rushed to the Kannur town station, on hearing that a special train to UP was arriving at the station Monday. However, the authorities had not received any intimation of such a train arriving at the station.
As early as 8 am on Monday, groups of migrant workers began crowding around the station premises. Visuals show them sitting on the pavement outside the station and standing near road side stalls near the station. Authorities including the Railway Police Force and Revenue department officials can be seen attempting to get these groups to disperse.
Speaking to TNM, Kannur DySP Sadanandan PP also said that none of the authorities knew how these migrant workers had reached the town area.
Several reports stated that they had traveled via the railway tracks early in the morning to avoid being spotted. They are said to have travelled from the Valapattanam area.
“We have not received any confirmation regarding this. At around 8 am, we saw them crowding near the station. They have now been sent back where they came from,” the DySP added.
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A few news reports also added that the migrant claimed they were not taken care of properly, and that adequate food, water and shelter had not been provided. However, police officials refute these allegations.
“We have reasons to believe that these claims are not entirely true. Across Kannur, there are volunteer groups and police working to distribute food and essential kits to people. We will have to verify these claims,” the DySP added.