Bareilly, March 30: Coronavirus has led to a mass exodus of migrants and daily wage workers as they are trying to reach their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown. At this difficult time, a video has surfaced from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly that show officials spraying disinfectants on migrants. In the clip shared by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a batch of migrants, including women and children can be seen on the road. Coronavirus Outbreak: Indian Government Orders Closure of State Borders to Stop Migrants' Exodus; Warns Lockdown Violators of 14-Day Quarantine.

In the video, a man can be heard saying, "Apni ankhen band kar lo (please shut your eyes." The migrants had returned to the state after special buses were arranged for them. Migrant Workers Returning to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Amid Coronavirus Lockdown to be Quarantined For Two Weeks.

Condemning the incident, Gandhi tweeted: "I appeal to the government in UP... all of us are fighting together against this crisis. Please don't indulge in such inhuman actions. The labourers have already suffered a lot. Don't spray chemicals on them. This won't protect them... rather it would harm their health."

Priyanka Gandhi Tweet:

Reacting to the development, Bareilly District Magistrate said that affected people are being treated under the direction of the CMO. "The team of Bareilly Municipal Corporation and Fire Brigade were instructed to sanitize the buses, but they did this too. Instructions have been given to take action against the concerned."

Bareilly DM's Tweet:

The 21-day lockdown imposed on Tuesday had trigged mass exodus of migrants workers from big cities to their villages. The Supreme Court on Monday sought status report from the Centre on measures taken in view of the migration of labourers.

"The migration of labourers out of panic and fear is becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus," the top court said while seeking status report by Tuesday, March 31.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2020 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).