UP sends bodies of accident victims with migrants in trucks

Rachi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has expressed shock and concern over the visuals of injured migrant labourers travelling in an open truck with tarpaulin-wrapped dead bodies of Auraiya accident victims in Uttar Pradesh.

"This inhumane treatment of our migrant workers could possibly be avoided. I request @UPGovt & Office of @NitishKumar'ji to arrange suitable transportation of the deceased bodies till Jharkhand border & we will ensure adequate dignified arrangements to their homes in Bokaro," Soren tweeted.

Twenty-six migrant labourers lost their lives and more than 30 were injured in Auraiya when two trucks —one coming from Punjab and another from Rajasthan — collided on the highway at around 3.30 am on Saturday.

Of the total deceased, 11 were natives of Bokaro district in Jharkhand. A day later, the Uttar Pradesh authorities sent back their bodies along with survivors on three trucks.

The photos of the trucks went viral on social media, leading to outrage, after which the the bodies were loaded onto ambulances near Prayagraj.

The accident in Auraiya is the latest one in a string of mishaps involving migrant workers returning to their native states amid the coronavirus lockdown.