Bollywood has expressed shock and grief at the news of migrant labourers being run over by train in Aurangabad.
At least 16 migrant labourers died after a goods train ran over a group of workers asleep on the railway tracks early on Friday in Maharashtra's Aurangabad. The homebound exhausted lot were run over between Jalna and Aurangabad while trying to return to their homes in Madhya Pradesh.
Ajay Devgn tweeted: "Yesterday, I was disturbed to read about the Vizag gas tragedy. And, now this horrific news of a goods train running over 15-odd migrants on foot to Madhya Pradesh. RIP, all those lives lost. #VizagGasLeak #Aurangabad"
Richa Chadha expressed: "To wake up to such news... heart hurts! How can we be so cruel to those because of whom we flourish ? #WeNeedaRevolution."
Nimrat Kaur shared: "Prayers for the deceased migrant labourers who've lost their lives in the tragic train mishap in Aurangabad. Wishing all these horrendous atrocities away...#Aurangabad"
Riteish Deshmukh wrote: "Everyday we are struck by one tragedy after another. Deeply pained & heartbroken to learn that a Migrant labour family was run over by a goods train in #Aurangabad. My heartfelt condolences to the grieving families & prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured."
The actor had recently tweeted saying that we should bear the cost of train journey of migrant labourers trying to get back home.
Mallika Sherawat reacted: "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the rail accident in #Aurangabad #aurangabadTrainAccident #Maharashtra"
Sonu Sood wrote in Hindi: "Train chalne ka intezaar toh kabse tha, par aise nahi...#MigrantWorkers who lost their lives in train tragedy."
Taking a dig at the government, Jaaved Jaaferi expressed: "Why were they walking on the tracks? Because nobody organised for their return home and when someone did, they couldn't afford the ?800-?1000 tickets for the trains running on those tracks to take them home. Some die walking, some cycling. #WhoCares"
Swara Bhasker reacted: "Miserable miserable tragedy in #Aurangabad."
Filmmaker Reema Kagti shared: "Awful news from #Aurangabad. RIP to those who were killed. It's heartbreaking to see daily testaments of how migrant workers have been forsaken in the fight against covid in India. A real tragedy and a national shame."
Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava tweeted: "Can only feel shame at how we are treating the labour force of our country. Stripping them of all rights and all dignity. History will not forget. We have blood on our hands."
According to the railway officials, the group of the migrants were hit by an empty petroleum tanker train, which was proceeding from Cherlapalli in Telangana to Paniwadi, near Manmad in Maharashtra.
Following the tragic incident, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and several other senior leaders condoled the death of the migrants.
( With inputs from IANS )