In photos: How India failed its migrant workers in lockdown 2020

By Asiaville Desk • 18/12/2020 at 8:18AM

On International Migrants Day, let's revisit the plight of the migrant workers of the country who lost their roofs as India witnessed stay-at-home orders.

As the horrors of coronavirus induced a nationwide lockdown in India in March 2020, the country witnessed the biggest exodus of citizens -- the migrant workers of the country, since the partition. Barely surviving the pain of the sudden loss of livelihood, the migrant workers set on to reach home on foot, and if lucky on bicycles and trucks, in the scorching summer heat with eyes longing for a morsel of bread. On International Migrants Day, let's revisit the painful plight of the nation's migrant workers who lost their roofs as India witnessed stay-at-home orders.

Indian migrant workers cover their faces with protective cloths and masks as they wait to board buses to return to their native villages as a nationwide — Indian migrant worker carrying his child while covering his face with a mask as he waits to board a bus to return to his native villages during the nationwide lockdown. *(Photo Credits: Getty Images)*

Indian migrant workers along with their families receive free food and water as they wait to cross the border of Uttar Pradesh to reach their native places. (Photo Credits: Getty Images) — Indian migrant workers along with their families receive free food and water as they wait to cross the border of Uttar Pradesh to reach their native places. *(Photo Credits: Getty Images)*

Social distancing a luxury desperate-to-go-home migrant workers couldn't afford during the lockdown. (Photo Credits: Getty Images) — Social distancing -- a luxury desperate-to-go-home migrant workers couldn't afford during the lockdown. *(Photo Credits: Getty Images)*

Indian migrant workers, daily wagers, laborers and homeless people eat food outside a government-run shelter as a nationwide lockdown — Indian migrant workers, daily wagers, laborers, and homeless people eat food outside a government-run shelter during the nationwide lockdown. *(Photo Credits: Getty Images)*

Indian migrant workers carry their belongings on their head as they walk in lines to board buses to return to their native villages as a nationwide lockdown — Indian migrant workers carry their belongings on their head as they walk in lines to board buses to return to their native villages during the nationwide lockdown
*(Photo credits: Getty Images)*

Indian migrant workers and labourers along with their families stuck in the national capital, crowd to board buses to return to their native villages, as nationwide lockdown — Indian migrant workers and labourers along with their families stuck in the national capital, crowd to board buses to return to their native villages during the nationwide lockdown. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Crowds of Indian migrant workers wait to board buses to return to their native villages during the nationwide lockdown. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

In May 2020, in the midst of the nationwide lockdown at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, two intrepid journalists with Asiaville, Sruthin Lal and Dibyaudh Das, set out on two bicycles and pedalled 600 kilometres from New Delhi to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to see for themselves and report first hand the impact of the shutdown and the mass movement of migrant workers.

Watch the video here:

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