Bengaluru law school alumni give Jharkhand migrants wings to fly

When migrants workers across the country have been taking arduous journeys on foot to return home, more than 170 migrants were ferried back to Jharkhand from Mumbai on a chartered aircraft on Thursday (May 28) thanks to alumni of the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru.

Members of the alumni association leased an Air Asia A320 aircraft to facilitate the return of distressed people amid the COVID-19 lockdown. This is not only the first instance of a charity flight being used to ferry migrants, but also the first charter operation by the airline since domestic flight services resumed in the country on May 25.

The Air Asia flight with 174 people, including five children, on board left Mumbai at 6.25 am and reached Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi at 8.25 am. At the airport, the returnees underwent a medical screening, before being sent to their respective districts on buses.

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The alumni had initially planned to send only 45 people to Ranchi on a flight from Mumbai on May 27. However, the flight was cancelled. We thought why should we leave other workers behind and decided to lease a flight, Shyel Trehan, a member of the alumni association, told The Times of India.

“We are happy to have made this very small contribution to addressing a massive travesty. This was a massive group effort with Priya Sharma of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay, and the alumni of the National Law School,” Trehan said. The entire cost was borne by the members.

Expressing gratitude to the alumni association, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said, “This is the first time in the country that a plane brought mazdoor back during the lockdown. I appreciate the effort of the Alumni Network of National Law School, Bengaluru.”