GUWAHATI: On a footpath of Itabhata in Dhirenpara area of Guwahati, a homeless man lay quietly, flies fawning over his injured arm.
Near him, lay another man on the same footpath, both hungry and scarcely moving.
When asked by the locals who first spotted them on March 24, the homeless men informed that they originally hailed from Patna and were left stranded due to the lockdown.
The locals fed them for five days before noticing that the first man needed medical attention.
"He had a plaster on his left arm. It was half torn, the injury seemed grievous and always had flies sitting on it," said Sahid Ahmed, a resident of the area.
He added that the residents of Dhirenpara contributed funds for his treatment, called the ambulance and got him treated at GMCH.
"He underwent a minor operation and is currently recovering," Ahmed stated.
The locals further decided to take care of the second homeless man. With help from the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) Biswajit Pegu, they arranged for the man to be treated at GMCH and thereafter transferred to a shelter home.
As the government of India has imposed a 21-day lockdown to curtail the spread of coronavirus, lakhs of people from across the country were left with no alternative but to walk home on foot or stay wherever they were with limited resources.
Most have no money and no food to eat.
In this time of need, people of Guwahati have opened their hearts, and along with the district administration are doing their bit to help make their arduous journey a little easier.