By IANS,
New Delhi : Covering themselves with shrouds and lying inside coffins, the Bhopal gas leak survivors put up a protest in the capital Thursday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the disaster and highlight the government’s apathy towards them.
‘Die in Action’, as the protest was called, sent a simple message — that the survivors will continue their fight for justice until the end.
“The Bhopal gas tragedy is the world’s worst industrial disaster where several thousand people were killed and generations maimed for life. Despite knowing who the culprit is, the government has not done enough to either
bring the culprit to book or compensate the victims. If this is not injustice, then what is?” Rehmat Khan, one of the protestors, said.
“For 25 years we have had to cry for compensation and rehabilitation. Why? We lost our relatives to the disaster and our children are born with deformities. People treat us like untouchables. It’s only when we march to Delhi that we get some attention…once back home, we are forgotten again,” Nasrat Bibi, an activist leading the Die in Action protest at Jantar Mantar said.
The Bhopal gas leak took place the night between Dec 2-3, 1984, when tonnes of methyl isocyanate spewed out of the Union Carbide pesticide plant, killing more than 3,500 people instantly and maiming thousands more.
Children of survivors of the Bhopal gas leak Tuesday started a three-day caravan campaign, called Bhopal Blues on Wheels, in Delhi in which they visited several colleges, telling stories of the disaster and showcasing a mobile photo exhibition to commemorate the 25th anniversary.
In the exhibition amongst others, photographs of children who were victims in the disaster were shown.
Amrita Jain, a student of Hindu college who saw the exhibition said: “I had goosebumps when I saw the pictures of kids who died in the disaster and heard stories of how others are still struggling to live a normal life…if India wants to prove its mettle in front of the world, it should start with giving justice to its own people.”