Lock down Situation in India

Lockdown of India and 1.3 billion people sets off human tragedy

The situation in India is critical due to the corona infection. Lockdown has been issued by the government to improve the situation. This has reduced the number of infected people. In 30 days, there are 22,000 infected people in India. In the first 30 days, the number of infected people in China reached 75,000, while in Italy, the number of infected people exceeded 28,000 in the first month. India is said to be in a good position. In India, an average of 433 cases were diagnosed every day, compared to 2,515 in China and 4,200 in Italy on the first day of the first month, according to the Corona World Meter Survey. India has benefited from a lockdown. But facts and figures tell another story

In a country where 456 million poor people live, imposed confinement is an extraordinary challenge, with disastrous effects for the most vulnerable
Is containment possible in India? Since March 25, authorities have imposed strict restrictions to prevent Indians from circulating, with orders to stay at home for 21 days, police checkpoints, and transportation paralysis. India has more than 1,600 cases of Covid-19, including 38 deaths, but these numbers remain underestimated due to the scarcity of screenings for the virus. In a country of 1.3 billion people, experts warn of the possibility of a time bomb. The context is explosive: high population density, poor health, and poor hospital equipment.

If the rich Indians can afford to isolate themselves, millions of poor people live in cramped spaces, without private latrines. "No one really respects confinement," said Satish Bhatt, in the unsanitary Anand Parbat camp in Delhi, where more than 10,000 people are gathered. The women continue to collect water as a group and the men go out during the day. ” Social practices in India revolve around community life, making isolation for the poorest impossible. Faced with the spread of the virus, the containment solution immediately excludes the underprivileged.

A tragic exodus

"The implementation of containment has been extremely poorly managed," said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, author and political commentator. The migrant workers were unable to organize and the government had nothing planned for them. " On the evening of March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement left the population with only four hours of respite before confinement. The panic was total. The handlers and day laborers, originally from the villages and suddenly trapped in the cities without work or money, tried to flee on foot to return to their homes in neighboring states. This mass exodus was a monumental tragedy. More than 20 people died on the roads.
Enforcing confinement by force is a temptation to brutality in India. The police, therefore, did not hesitate to strike, punish, and humiliate these migrants who were thrown on the roads. Authoritarian abuses are also a threat. By directing the Supreme Court, the media must now only relay official information on the pandemic. Surveillance techniques for confined citizens are being developed in some states, using cameras, applications, and geolocation of telephones.

"The worst humanitarian crisis since the Partition in 1947"

The migrants who remained in the capital are now dependent on food distributions. "The informal sector, which represents 90% of the workforce in India, is being hit hard," explains Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. The Indian economy was already in bad shape before the pandemic. The current crisis will plunge the country into a deep recession. ”

"And the divide between rich and poor will widen even more," he continues. The inability of the authorities to anticipate speaks volumes about the weakness of our governance in the face of the crisis. " Harsh Mander, a leading human rights defender, warns: "This is a terrifying time," he says. I am afraid it will devastate the poor like never in decades and create the worst humanitarian crisis since the Partition in 1947. "