Haryana miffed over migrants’ entry into state from Punjab

Ajay, 22, worked in a stitching factory in Ludhiana and is now cycling to his native place in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, 980km away. Accompanied by an 18-year-old co-villager, Ajay had to cross Ghaggar river in a bid to avoid police while crossing the Haryana-Punjab border.

“My wife was expecting to deliver a baby in the first week of May at my native place and I decided to reach there. I approached a local policeman for help and he asked us to bring luggage. At a stadium in Ludhiana, we waited for hours, only to be lathi-charged later,” he said.

“Then I started cycling and we weren’t stopped anywhere till the Shambhu border on Ambala side. Punjab Police used to show us inner countryside routes. Locals told us to swim across the river to enter Ambala. In two rounds, I carried my luggage and cycle on my head, one by one in water level under my chest and crossed it,” he said. Ambala is the gateway to enter Haryana from the north where hundreds of migrants are leaving daily. Last week, the influx of the migrants grew to such an extent that Ambala City MLA Aseem Goyal, along with senior police officials, had to reach the border to discuss the issue with Punjab Police and facilitate their return.

A police officer had then on record said that some of the migrants have been sent back via the field route they had entered Haryana from.

Nine busses carrying nearly 230 migrants from various districts in Punjab were sent to Saharanpur from Saini Dharamshala on Thursday morning.

SP Abhishek Jorwal said, “Punjab must have to stop them and send them home from their working place. Due to this, our shelter homes are getting full but we are sending buses regularly for UP and have sent three trains in a week for Bihar. We must ask how many buses were deployed from Patiala or Ludhiana to ferry them.”

National Highway-44 in Ambala is full of migrants walking, cycling, resting, many in queues for food opposite the cantonment railway station.

Haryana home minister Anil Vij said, “Punjab government is behaving irresponsibly. They should stop pushing migrants working in their state into Haryana. Many who have already entered are being kept at shelter homes and are consecutively sent to their native places by buses or trains.”

“Haryana DGP has told his Punjab counterpart many times to stop this. During the curfew, if they are walking towards Haryana, this is not possible without the help of the local police,” Vij, who is also an MLA from Ambala Cantonment, said.

Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta was not available for a comment. However, an official spokesperson of the police department said the state force has not received any complaint from Haryana about migrants from Punjab illegally entering Haryana.