Coronavirus: UN human rights chief "distressed" over plight of Indian migrants

The UN's human rights chief has expressed concern over the plight of millions of domestic migrants in India during the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and welcomed the subsequent measures announced to address their situation, underscoring the need for "domestic solidarity and unity" to combat the epidemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown for 21 days on March 24, triggering a mass movement of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from their place of work in cities to homes in villages across India.

"The lockdown in India represents a massive logistical and implementation challenge given the population size and its density and we all hope the spread of the virus can be checked," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Thursday in Geneva.

Bachelet said she was "distressed" by the plight of millions of domestic migrants affected by the sudden lockdown announced in India, noting that it is important to ensure that measures in response to the COVID-19 are "neither applied in a discriminatory manner nor exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities."
On reports of police officers beating citizens for breaking quarantine rules and migrants being doused with disinfectant, Bachelet said the agency understands the strain on the police service at this time, but "officers must show restraint and abide by international standards on the use of force and humane treatment in their efforts to respond to this pandemic in accordance with the Supreme Court's instruction."