Bhopal Gas victims write to Obama; 30th anniversary marked by rallies, public meetings & burning of effigies

Scottish & Indian Trade unions express solidarity with victims, take part in rally

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

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Bhopal: Three decades ago, it was the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984 when poisonous Iso-cyanate gas spewed from the Union Carbide pesticide plant here resulting in the of death to several thousands, while maiming for life nearly half a million people.

The 30th anniversary on Wednesday of the Bhopal gas tragedy, billed as the world’s deadliest industrial disaster, was marked by rallies, public meetings, burning of effigies etc. of the Union Carbide and Dow Chemical companies even as the survivors and their progenies afflicted with crippling diseases vent their spleen on the Indian and the US governments for their pathetic response to the state of affairs.

Three effigies wherein a “Neta” (political leader) standing in the centre with hands over the shoulders of representative of MNCs and judiciary to depict how the three-some have conspired to dupe the gas victims was put to flames by the gas survivors under the banner of Abdul Jabbar-led Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS)

Two rallies, one jointly organized by five NGOs, and the other led by veteran Abdul Jabbar, a gas victim and convenor of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS), were organized today where hundreds of survivors, including men, women and children participated carrying placards and renting the air with anti-US slogans together with protesting the Central and the state governments’ apathy towards them.

They were joined by scores of foreign trade unionists and supporters from Scotland, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia etc to express their solidarity with gas victims. Apart from this, representatives of national trade unions All India Central Council of Trade Unions, (AICCTU); Indian Federation of Trade Unions, (IFTU); New Trade Union Initiative, (NTUI) and TUCI were also in the rally to register their support to the victims.

Abdul Jabbar-led BGPMUS held a public meeting wherein apart from gas victims, social activists from various cities, including well-known Medha Patkar, participated. Effigies of three persons a ‘Neta’ (political leader) standing in the centre with hands over the shoulders of representative of MNCs and judiciary to depict the message how the three-some have conspired to dupe the gas victims, were burnt. The protest was symbolic of the struggle by gas victims, who continue to suffer untold miseries even after 30 years of the tragedy with no light visible at the end of the tunnel.

The joint rally organized by the five organizations of survivors made an appeal to people all over the world to put pressure on responsible parties to end the disasters in their fourth decade. They asked supporters to help make Union Carbide, USA and its 100 per cent owner Dow Chemical acknowledge their roles in the continuing human suffering in Bhopal and make amends so that a realistic goal of ending the disaster by 2024 can be achieved.

The organizations said that the Governments of USA and India are directly responsible for neglecting the ongoing tragedy caused by the world’s worst industrial catastrophe. They charged both governments of protecting corporate interests over the lives and health of ordinary people and sought reflection and course correction for ending the disaster.

Representatives of Scottish Trade Unions taking part in the rally of Bhopal gas victimson Wednesday

Letter to US President Barak Obama

In a letter to the US President Barak Obama, the survivors’ organizations asked that his government “acknowledge the central role played by the United States government in the creation of the disaster in Bhopal and in the denial of justice to the victims”.

Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh said that Wikileaks documents show that the then National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, had facilitated an EXIM Bank loan for Union Carbide to set up the Methyl Isocyanate plant that caused the disaster in Bhopal. She also presented a letter obtained under the Right to Information Act from the office of the Indian Prime Minister that shows that Kissinger used his influence to help Union Carbide get away by paying a paltry compensation amount.

“Obama made British Petroleum pay 20 billion dollars for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. We would like to ask him how his conscience allows him to support two US corporations that paid a tiny fraction of that amount for 2,000 times more fatalities”, said Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha.

Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha said that the Indian government’s neglect of the survivors of Bhopal is most glaring in its apathy towards the generation of victims born after the disaster. “The Supreme Court in its October 3, 1991 judgment had directed the government of India to provide medical insurance coverage of 100, 000 children born to gas affected parents. Not a single child has been provided coverage till today”, he pointed out.

“The Supreme Court and the Indian Government both agree that upwards of 50,000 people have been exposed to the extremely poisonous chemicals in their drinking water for up to 22 years but till today there are no facilities for medical care of contamination affected people. Nor are there any facilities for the rehabilitation of the hundreds of children born disabled due to congenital anomalies”, moaned Safreen Khan of Children Against Dow Carbide.

Women Bhopal gas victims led by Ms Rashida Bee (holding mike in hand) raising slogans in the rally on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy

Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) said that leaders of the five organizations will soon be meeting the officials of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers for implementation of the decisions taken on the matter of additional compensation from the Indian government and from the two US Corporations. She along with five women survivors were on a waterless fast in New Delhi last month and was assured by the Minister in charge of all matters concerning the Bhopal disaster that figures of death and injury would be revised on the basis of scientific records.

“We are certain that once the Minister acts on his assurance, majority of those denied Rs 100,000 additional compensation will be able to receive the sum and the government will be able to rightfully claim USD 8.1 billion from the US corporations”, she said.

(Photos by Nabeel Bari)

Related:

Bhopal – Three decades of Struggle