BHOPAL: After remaining stranded in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district for weeks due to lockdown, three migrant labourers reached their home district Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh but were crushed to death in their sleep, just a km away from their village.
The gory end happened as the driver of a truck lost control over the heavy vehicle at around 4 am in Bherugarh area of Ujjain district while a group of tired labourers, who returned from Jaisalmer on Tuesday morning, were sleeping on the roadside near a temple.
Vikram Singh, his wife Bhooli and Badrilal Banjara — all hailing from Mohanpura village — were part of the group who were brought to Ujjain from Rajasthan on Tuesday only following efforts by the MP government.
There were unconfirmed reports that the trio after arriving in Ujjain district on Tuesday had went to their village Mohanpura, but villagers stopped them from entering the village asking them to first get their COVID checkup done at the hospital in Ujjain city.
The hapless labourers had to return to Ujjain and were returning with other migrant labourers after giving their samples and details at the hospital.
As they were travelling on foot to their village on Tuesday night, the tired three migrants slept on the roadside with other labourers near the temple, close to their village with the plan to enter their village at the first light of Wednesday.
Ujjain district superintendent of police Sachin Atulkar said the truck which fatally ran over the labourers was impounded, but the truck driver managed to escape from the spot.
To a question by TNIE about the migrant labourers being prevented from entering their village, the Ujjain SP said that the police don’t have any such information.
“It first needs to be verified. All the labourers who have been brought back from other states are being medically screened when they disembark from buses,” he said.