Citizens for Justice and Peace
Migrant Diaries: Sagar Ali “Health facilities are terrible in Birbhum. At least in Mumbai, if I fall ill, I can go to the nearby government hospital,” says a labourer who feels his young family is safer in the city
26-Jun-2020
Sagar Ali, a daily wage labourer, had returned to Mumbai from his village in West Bengal just a week before the national lockdown was imposed. He had yet to get back into his work routine, had no money, and no stock of ration for his family. At the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in March…
Migrant Diaries: Mohammed Jamaluddin “We took a bus, then rode in a truck, then walked, then boarded another truck, and were heckled by officials at each checkpost,” a mason recalls his hellish journey from Mumbai to Birbhum
24-Jun-2020
39-year-old Mohammed Jamaluddin is a skilled mason, who has been working in Mumbai for the past 13 years. But in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, he was forced to leave the city and undertake an arduous journey back home to his village in Birbhum, West Bengal. At first, he undertook two consequent journeys by bus,…
Migrant Diaries: Abul Hasan Mirza “I'll invite you home for a meal soon. We want to thank you,” says an optimistic construction supervisor who shared the rations he got with his team
22-Jun-2020
Abul Hasan Mirza is a rare kind of migrant worker. He is a supervisor at construction sites, and works for a company called Hotema. When the coronavirus pandemic descended like a nightmare he stood his ground and didn’t abandon those who worked under his charge. Like many migrants leaving Mumbai, Mirza could also have boarded…
Migrant Diaries: Laxman Prasad “I am glad that I have reached my village, and we do not need to beg in front of anyone for food,” says the Mumbai loving auto driver who hails from Jharkhand
19-Jun-2020
43-year-old Laxman Prasad, has been living and working in Mumbai for the past 27 years. He has lived in different parts of the city, but moved with his family to Kalina, Santacruz 15-years ago. He worked as an auto rickshaw driver and had bought his vehicle just two years ago, on a five-year-loan. Laxman and…
Migrant Diaries: Munna Sheikh “It took us over 62 hours of a hellish train ride to reach home. I hope the Bihar government gives us money,” says a labourer wondering how else would his family survive
17-Jun-2020
27-year-old Munna Shaikh was a part of a group of 15 who lived in Bandra’s Shastri Nagar, a low-income neighbourhood that is home to hundreds of migrant workers who hail from various states. He had moved to Mumbai from Bihar 15 years ago. On May 19, a huge crowd had gathered in Bandra to catch a…
পরিযায়ীদের কথা : টিঙ্কু শেখ "অভাব না থাকলে, আমরা আমাদের জন্মভূমি ছেড়ে কেন গেলাম ?" পরিযায়ী শ্রমিক জিজ্ঞেস করলেন।
16-Jun-2020
কোবিদ ১৯ লকডাউন এর মাঝে পরিযায়ী শ্রমিকদের চরম দুরবস্থা আমাদের সামনে রোজ ভেসে আসছে। ‘পরিযায়ী শ্রমিক’ এই শব্দর পেছনে একজন মানুষ রয়েছেন এবং সেই একজন মানুষ যখন তাঁর যাত্রা, দুরবস্থা, ছোট খাটো আনন্দ, ভয়. বেদনার ব্যাখ্যা করেন, তখন বোঝা যায় এই ভয়াবহ বিভীষিকার আসল চিত্র। এপ্রিল এ, CJP টিঙ্কু শেখ এবং আরো পাঁচজন পরিযায়ী শ্রমিকদের…
Migrant Diaries: Ganesh Yadav “How long will our relatives feed us? I will soon have to come back to Mumbai to earn,” says a cook from Madhubani would prefer to work in Bihar, but he doesn't have a choice
15-Jun-2020
Thirty-five-year-old Ganesh Yadav is an excellent cook, because it is what he enjoys the most. “It is my only skill,” says the modest father of three, “but it has helped me live a good life in Mumbai for almost 20 years.” Through good and bad, he forged a relationship with the city he came to,…
मायग्रंट डायरीज: टिंकू शेख “तशी गरज नसती तर आम्ही आमचं जन्माचं गाव सोडलं असतं का”, पश्चिम बंगालमधील स्थलांतरित मजूराचा प्रश्न.
13-Jun-2020
कोविड-१९ च्या लॉकडाऊनमुळे उद्भवलेल्या परिस्थितीशी झगडत असलेल्या स्थलांतरित मजुरांच्या हृदयद्रावक संघर्षाची शोकांतिका सध्या आपल्या डोळ्यांसमोर उलगडत आहे. मात्र ‘स्थलांतरित मजूर’ या शब्दांमागे अनेक लोकांच्या अभूतपूर्व कहाण्या लपल्या आहेत. या कहाण्या आहेत रोजच्या आयुष्यातील लहान-मोठ्या संघर्षांच्या, शेकडो मैलांच्या प्रवासांच्या, आयुष्याला अर्थ देणाऱ्या छोट्या छोट्या आनंदांच्या आणि सातत्याने पिच्छा पुरवणार्या भीतीच्या. फक्त या शब्दामागे लपलेले हे तपशील…
Migrant Diaries: Dilip Rana “My wife took loans to get me home safe. Will the government help me repay the money,” asks a construction worker who fears poverty more than the Coronavirus
12-Jun-2020
Construction labourer Dilip Rana and 10 of his co-workers had migrated from Odisha to Mumbai around 15 years ago. They lived near Nariman Point and worked at construction sites in South Mumbai, earning around Rs 450 as daily wages. However, they got paid at the end of each month, and lived together as a community…
मायग्रंट डायरीज : टिंकू शेख पश्चिम बंगाल के प्रवासी मजदूर टिंकू शेख पूछते हैं, "अगर अभाव नहीं होता तो यूं काम के लिए अपना घर क्यों छोड़ते?"
11-Jun-2020
कोरोनावायरस संक्रमण को काबू करने के लिए लगे लॉकडाउन ने पूरे देश में अफरातफरी मचा दी है. इस लॉकडाउन ने प्रवासी मजदूरों कीजैसीदुर्दशा की है, उसके हृदय विदारक दृश्य पूरे देश में दिख रहे हैं. प्रवासी मजदूर शब्द में वे लाखों-करोड़ों लोग छिपे हुए हैं, जिनके पास लॉकडाउन के दौरान घर पहुंचने की जद्दोजहद से लेकर…
Migrant Diaries: Hrudanand Behera "I am haunted by the images of the thousands I saw walking home to escape the big city," says a migrant worker from Odisha still bleeding from the emotional scars of a forced exodus
10-Jun-2020
“I used to work for four months in Mumbai and then go back home to my village Biripali, which is in Bolangir district of Odisha, for 15 days. I would take care of whatever needed to be done at home, attend to the needs of my parents, wife, and daughters, and then get back to…
A call to our conscience From the Secretary's Desk
08-Jun-2020
It’s the calls that keep coming… from Cuffe Parade to Antop Hill, from Wadala to Worli, from Kalbadevi, Dongri and Pydhonie. First for just basic decency and dignity of living; rations, food. Then desperation to get home, with the mess ups in Shramik trains, the vulnerability to touts, arduous is a word that does not…
Migrant Diaries: Tinku Sheikh “If not for obhab (want), why would we leave our birthplace,” asks the migrant worker from West Bengal
08-Jun-2020
The heart-rending spectacle of migrant workers struggling to negotiate the Covid-19 lockdown is unfolding before us in real time. The term ‘migrant worker’ however hides behind it people who have extraordinary tales to tell – tales of daily struggles big and small, Homeric journeys, the little joys that make up life and stubborn fears that…
CJP Impact: Four people released from Tezpur Detention Camp Previously released detainees pay it forward by referring new cases to CJP
03-Jun-2020
In yet another victory, CJP has been able to secure the release of three men and one woman from an Assam detention camp. The inmates were released on conditional bail in accordance with a Supreme Court order. Banesha Khatun, Banamali Das, Rajendra Das and Binod Das, had all been languishing behind bars for over two…
CJP partners with #HaqHai to reach out to migrants leaving Mumbai CJP Against COVID-19
23-May-2020
Many migrant workers are gathering in huge numbers at bus stops, waiting to reach their state borders. Although some measures have been made for their transport, there are still many struggling to get home. CJP, in association with our partners #HaqHai, have reached out to the migrants, delivering water and essentials to those undertaking these…