During a hearing conducted by the Supreme Court on Friday, 15 May, regarding the deaths of 16 migrants on a railway track in Aurangabad, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told the judges that the authorities could not do anything about the migrant workers walking home as they were not waiting for the trains which have been arranged to take them home.
“The states are providing interstate transport. But if people get angry and start on foot instead of waiting for the transport to be provided, nothing can be done,” he said, according to Bar and Bench.
The Quint has confirmed from the petitioner in the case, Alakh Alok Srivastava, that this was what was said during the hearing, which was conducted by video conferencing as per the current system, and not fully open to the public.