Fearing Corona Outbreak, Thousands of NE Indians Return to Guwahati Railway Station on Curfew Day

Guwahati, March 22, 2020:

Amid the rampant phobia over the international pandemic coronavirus or COVID-19 that has killed over 13,000 people worldwide in a span of mere months, the citizenry of Guwahati, Assam, finds itself on edge. Today, trains from several parts of the country have come bearing thousands of NE Indians from other states, in the middle of the 'janata curfew' lockdown that has been called to contain the corona outbreak.

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The arrival of one train, in particular, seems to have raised the anxiety levels in the State: one from Kerala, which is scheduled to arrive at 3. The arrival of the trains assumes special significance as Kerala is one of the worst-hit states in India, and as such, trains, planes, and automobiles arriving from there are receiving special scrutiny. (Note: Kerala has the second highest number of cases at 52)

Meanwhile, several buses of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) have arrived at the station, with the officials at the ready to monitor (and screen?) the passengers who arrive on the Assamese soil. Our on-ground team at the station also witnessed several armed security personnel patrolling the grounds with an air of invincibility.

Two trains -- reportedly from Howrah and Delhi -- have already arrived, bringing home thousands in the afternoon, many of them on a "break" from services due the virus.

Raju Kalita, an Inside Northeast reporter, has raised further fears that the trains that have arrived could be the harbinger of bad news for the Northeast. "Look, the trains have brought home at least 2,000 people. People, who have been stranded in other states, are in a hurry to get home, as corona continues to spread its tentacles to every nook and corner of the State. Panic-stricken people are jam-packed into the trains, and the Government's regulation of maintaining 1 metre distance is not being followed anywhere. There is no option of hygiene amid this mad rush. Moreover, there is further panic as the railways have cancelled passenger trains as well.."

Chaos, meanwhile, is guest at the station to screen the passengers for any signs of the COVID-19, and they are now being ferried to different places in ASTC buses. "People from different parts are being taken to different places; people from Meghalaya, for instance, are being taken to the Meghalaya House. Several others will now be taken to the ISBT..", Raju further adds.

Hibjur Rahman, a man from Morigaon, who has arrived from Kerala, says that he has been sent home for a month by his employers, without pay.

"For one month, we have been sent on leave without pay; we have worked in hotels and in buildings. But now, because of the virus, we have been sent home. Could not catch a single train back. Had to catch several", his companion piped in.

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This development comes a day after the Indian Railways informed that several positive cases of the COVID-19 have been detected in the trains, and advised against railway travel amid the corona outbreak.

This development has taken place amid the ongoing panic in Assam over the “detection” of the first corona positive case in the State that later turned out to be a false-alarm.

On Saturday night, it was reported that a four and half years old child from Pulibor area in Jorhat had shown the symptoms of the virus and was rushed to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) for testing. However, the suspected case tested NEGATIVE, thereby quashing all the reports of the outbreak in the Northeastern state. However, panic continues to prevail in the State, that has gone into lockdown mode amid the Indian Government called janata curfew.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to clarify the case. “The 4 year old child who was suspected of #covid19 and tested in Jorhat Medical College and RMRC, Dibrugarh has been found NEGATIVE. There is no Covid19 positive case in Assam so far.”

At the same time, janata curfew is being imposed across the country. On March 22, India has gone on a temporary lockdown of 14 hours, starting from 7 AM to 9 PM in a bid to contain the corona outbreak. Following the declaration on March 19, the Home Secretary has issued a statement directing all the administrators of the States to ensure minimum movement of the public on the streets.

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