When India locked down with four hours notice in March, tens of millions of migrant workers were left stranded. The situation became so dire that the government eventually set up trains to get them home — and sent the virus deep into the country's villages.nyti.ms/3mpeLdV 
India has now reported more cases than any country beside the U.S. And it's become clear that the government's trains, meant to ease suffering — and counteract a disastrous lack of planning — played a significant role in spreading the virus to almost every corner of the country.
Just how disastrous was the lack of planning? Prime Minister Modi's Covid-19 task force, dominated by upper-caste Hindus and unrepresentative of India, never adequately contemplated how suddenly quarantining 1.3 billion people would induce panic for migrant workers.
Modi’s lockdown closed public transport, so migrants, stranded without food or work, began walking hundreds of miles to return home.
It was a humanitarian disaster. The airwaves filled with horrific scenes of people dying on the roads from thirst, heat, hunger and exhaustion.
It was a humanitarian disaster. The airwaves filled with horrific scenes of people dying on the roads from thirst, heat, hunger and exhaustion.
Railroad officials concluded they had to step in. But few people were tested before boarding. Social distancing was nonexistent. The trains became contagion zones, and the impact on the villages they arrived in was devastating.
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