In the two days since PM Modi announced the 21-days nation-wide lockdown, distressing stories of migrant workers and daily wagers left with no shelter or food have emerged from across India.
With factories laying off workers with no pay, thousands of migrant workers have been forced to flee the metros, including Delhi, and head home to their villages.
However, because almost all forms of transportation are shut, these workers with meager or no savings, are forced to walk hundreds of kilometers. Worse still, they have no access to food or water.
For many of them, even a packet of biscuit is out of reach. And hunger remains just as big a threat, if not bigger, than the Coronavirus.
While in some cases police officers have stepped up and helped the workers, instances of police harassing the migrants and general public have also emerged.
In such trying times, it is important for the police to understand the fear and uncertainty the most vulnerable are dealing with.
Chief Ministers of several states, including Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, have assured that the migrant workers will be looked after.
And yet, these workers either have no faith on the system or no access to the requisite information.
At times like this, one can’t help but wonder, if it’s possible for a nation to save its citizens from across the globes, does it not owe the responsibility to the people suffering within the nation?