Yesterday Mumbai saw thousands of migrants gathering at Bandra and later at Mumbra after an activist, who posted a video claiming that he has arranged for about 40 buses for the migrants to go back to their homes. The activist who started rumours with his social media posts and another television journalist, who reported on a railway ministry meeting on special trains for migrants, have been charged. An FIR for rioting has been filed against 1,000 people.

Huge crowd throng Bandra West station despite Covid-19 lockdown

Activist Vinay Dubey has been accused of instigating thousands of people through his social media posts like "Chalo Ghar Ki Ore", was arrested from his home in Airoli in Navi Mumbai this morning.

Dubey's Tweet

Dubey, who is from UP, runs an NGO called Uttar Bhartiya Maha Panchayat.

He had been sharing his posts and was asking others to make his posts go viral in which he is stating that he has made travel arrangements for migrants who can board buses on April 15 to head back home.

Huge crowds of migrant workers burst onto the streets in Bandra and Mumbra and were demanding that they need to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic as they have no jobs, money, food and a place to stay.

Tweet about crowds at Mumbra

Dubey had posted another video on YouTube in which he urged other migrants all across India to gather at their nearest railway stations. In his April 14 video, he asked these migrants to gather at the Lok Manya Tilak Terminus. He was instigating people to start a movement against the Govt for which he has been arrested under IPC sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270, 505 (2) and Section 3 of The Epidemic Diseases Act.

Another TV journalist Rahul Kulkarni with a Marathi news channel has an FIR against him over his report on a special train for migrants by the Railways, which, the police claim, may have prompted the large gathering near a railway station at Bandra.

The Railway Ministry, however, denied having passed any such instructions stating that no decision had been taken to run a "Jan Sadharan" train for migrants stranded by the lockdown. The TV journalist had cited a letter. An internal communication confirming the decision has been withdrawn as the lockdown was extended yesterday, a railways officer said.

The TV journalist was supposed to be called for an inquiry in this matter.

Dubey's Tweet
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