Amit Shah calls Udhhav Thackeray, expresses concern on migrants' protest at Bandra

The incident took place just hours after Indian PM Narendra Modi announced his decision to increase lockdown until May 3 to combat COVID-19.

Amit Shah told Uddhav Thackeray that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid these.

He also offered his support to the Maharashtra CM to handle the situation.

According to some media reports, the migrant workers had assembled at the spot to protest against the extension of the lockdown. The crowd also had people from the nearby slums, who came in search of food.

Police reportedly resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control as most of them demanded to be allowed to reach home.

" The people gathered at the station are mostly daily wage labourers who are not able to earn since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25," reported India Today.

The visuals on Tuesday evening reminded of the grim images of a similar situation in Delhi where hordes of migrant workers had gathered outside the inter-state bus stations in the city after the lockdown was declared for the first time. Such incidents further raise the concern of spreading the virus as social distancing goes for a toss in these predicaments.

The Indian government's imposed initial 21-lockdown was supposed to end on Apr 14.

On Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi increased the lockdown till May 3 to stem the spread of the virus further as India continues to witness a rise in the number of cases.

Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray at first slammed the Centre over the situation.

He tweeted: " The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They don’t want food or shelter, they want to go back home."

However later he thanked the Centre for understanding the situation.

The death toll due to COVID-19 in India stands at 353, as per the latest figures released by Ministry of Health.

Of all states, Maharashtra is the worst hit owing to the highly contagious virus. Mumbai has already witnessed over 1,500 cases of COVID-19, more than half of the 2,300-plus cases in Maharashtra.

So far, 1189 people have cured or have been discharged from hospitals.

According to the figures, the country currently has 9272 active cases.