Jadav Gogoi, 45, covered about 2,890km in 26 days, of which he walked about 1,500km for 24 days, to reach Assam’s Nagaon district on Sunday.
He was rescued by villagers and police from Ahotguri, 35km from the district headquarters, on Sunday evening and quarantined for 14 days at the civil hospital.
Jadav, a resident of Godhoriya, 45km from Ahotguri, under Nagaon Sadar police station, was working as a security guard in Gujarat’s Rajkot city when the lockdown was announced. On March 25, he left Gujarat with three colleagues from Bihar in a goods truck bound for Uttar Pradesh, from where he started walking on March 27. The exact distance he walked could not be ascertained because Jadav, who is weak in reading and speaking Hindi, could not make out where he had alighted in UP. Guided by his three companions, he walked till Bihar where the others stayed back. The road distance from Lucknow in UP to Nagaon is 1,470km and from Prayagraj 1,363km.
In his hurry to reach home, Jadav did not even consider taking a day’s rest at his colleagues’ place. All along, he survived on biscuits and water as roadside eateries were shut. Besides, he did not have enough money.
Jadav’s wife Puspalata said, “He was working in Gujarat for the past nine months. He had told me that he would come home permanently on Bohag Bihu and engage in agriculture. When the lockdown was declared, he feared we would suffer in his absence and that pushed him to come home on foot.”
Ranjit Phukan, a neighbour said, “From March 27 till Sunday, Jadav called me several times. On March 27, he called me from UP, on April 10 from Bengal and on April 18 from Rangiya in Kamrup district of Assam. He had my number and requested strangers to lend their mobile phones.”
On Sunday, Jadav called to say that he had reached Ahotguri and requested to be brought home. Phukon and police rushed to Ahotguri and found Jadav lying at a waiting shed. “We took him to the civil hospital where, after preliminary treatment, he was forwarded to 14-day quarantine,” Phukan said.
Jadav told Phukan, “I hardly had any money when the lockdown was announced. We were working in a residential society where we did not know whom to ask for food. Uncertainty over lockdown, coronavirus fear and problems at home pushed me to take the decision.” Jadav could not be contacted as he has been advised complete rest.
Nagaon SP Abhijit Gurav said the police rescued Jadav from a roadside shed and took him to the hospital.