Migrant worker on way home dies in Rohtas

PATNA: A 40-year-old migrant worker, who was trying to get home, died in Rohtas district late on Wednesday evening.
The victim, Vilas Mahto, died at Dehri-on-Sone when he along with co-residents was on way to his native village under the Bhagwanpur block in Vaishali district from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh on foot. The victim’s brother in-law, Mishri Mahto, (55), said on Thursday that Vilas complained of severe pain in his abdomen as soon as group of seven migrant workers reached Dehri-on-Sone on NH-2 in Rohtas district en route to Patna on Wednesday.
“We inquired about the hospitals in the nearby locality but they all were closed because of the 21-day lockdown. Vilas was wreathing in pain and we all watched him helplessly. He breathed his last as no help came from anywhere,” he said with tears rolling down his cheeks.
According to Mishri, also a migrant worker from Vaishali district, Vilas could not be admitted to a hospital as no vehicle was available. The roads wore a deserted look and residents remained indoors. “Had he been provided treatment on time, he could have survived,” he lamented.
Vilas was suffering from appendicitis and his condition deteriorated after covering a long distance on foot. “He left Praygraj despite pain in his abdomen. We reached Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay junction on a goods train. From there, we travelled in a truck and then covered a few kilometers on foot. The road construction company, which had employed us for repair and construction of roads told us to leave the place due to the lockdown on March 24,” Mishri said.
Police officials from Dehri town police station reached the spot only when Vilas had died. The body was subsequently sent to Sasaram sadar hospital for postmortem. Dehri Town police station SHO Subodh Kumar said on Thursday that the body was handed over to his relatives around 2 am on Thursday. “He was suffering from appendicitis,” the SHO said.
Ashok Kumar, who performed the autopsy at the Sadar hospital, said, “No mark of external injury was found on the body, which suggested that it was not a case of unnatural death.”
Rohtas civil surgeon Janardan Sharma could not be contacted for his comments. Sources said his relatives left for Bhagwanpur in Vaishali district, about 200 km from Rohtas, by an ambulance. A visibly upset kin of the victim said, “Vilas had visited his native village ahead of Holi and left for Allahabad on March 19 to resume work there. But destiny had something else in store for him.”