At least 35 people, including men, women and children, walked more than 170km for six days from Burdwan in Bengal to reach Jharkhand’s Dumka, surviving barely on one meal a day.

These people, all villagers from Sahebganj, had lost their construction jobs in one swoop at Mohanpur in Burdwan when the country went in lockdown, said they had no way out but to walk. “We used to work at a private brick kiln in Burdwan. We stayed wherever our employers put us up. Last Sunday, the kiln owner asked us to leave. What option did we have but to head home? There is no transport. So, some of us decided to walk it out,” said Bhagwan Hansda, a member of the group.

From Burdwan, the group started walking last Monday. Some 170km later, they reached Gopikandar in Dumka on Sunday morning, failing to get any transport on the way.

One of those in the group, Sushil Tudu said he did not think he would reach Dumka alive. “When our children cried for food on the way, we all would cry with them. Seeing our plight, some bystanders helped us at times with muri or rice or biscuits, but those were not enough,” he said.

They were famished when they reached Gopikandar, some 40km from Dumka town, DC Rajeshwari B. said. “They were taken to Gopikandar police station and fed, their health was checked and they were all negative (for the virus). Then, we sent them to Bhognadih village in Sahebganj by bus,” the DC said.