Time to sanitise politics, treat workers with dignity, says Kapil Sibal on Bareilly incident

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday slammed the incident in which disinfectants were sprayed on migrant labourers who were returning to Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

"Disinfectant Spray. Time to sanitise our politics, Not migrant workers reaching Bareilly to go home They work -1) in factories, 2) harvest crops, 3) in restaurants, hotels, 4) in construction projects, highways, 5) in homes. They build India, Treat them with dignity," Sibal tweeted.

Earlier on Monday, after a video went viral in which officials wearing protection gear were spraying disinfectant on migrant labourers in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, the government said that action has been taken against the officials.

"Bareilly District Magistrate has clarified that some employees took an overzealous step due to ignorance. Required action has been taken against those employees," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told reporters here.

Hundreds of migrants, a majority of whom are daily wage workers started rushing to their native places from different states amid uncertainty over their livelihood following the announcement of a 21-day nationwide COVID-19 lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

India has recorded 1,117 active COVID-19 positive cases as on Monday night.