Protest by migrant workers at AIIMS Mangalagiri turns violent in AP

Vijayawada: Police resorted to lathi-charge as hundreds of migrant workers turned violent at Mangalagiri near here on Friday, demanding the authorities send them back to their home states.

Tension prevailed after the migrants turned violent during the protest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Mangalagiri in Guntur district. They barged into the security office at the construction site and ransacked it.

Policemen in riot gear entered the campus and used force to chase away the protestors.

More than 3,000 construction workers from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh working at AIIMS construction site have been demanding that they be sent back to their states.

They staged protests again on Friday against the officials not making any transport arrangement despite an assurance given three days ago. The officials tried to pacify them by saying that since Guntur district is a red zone, their states were not giving consent for their travel at this stage.

However, the migrant workers continued their protest and at one point it took a violent turn.

Several blocks are under construction at AIIMS Mangalagiri. The foundation stone for the facility was laid in 2018.

The 960-bed AIIMS is being built on a 200 acre site at a cost of Rs 1,620 crore.