By TCN News,
Bhopal: Five organisations fighting for the rights of the survivors of the December 1984 Bhopal gas disaster on Tuesday expressed anger at the repeated non-appearance of The Dow Chemical Company, USA, current owner of Union Carbide, in response to the notice sent by the Bhopal District court.
The organisations blamed the Indian government’s weak-kneed attempt and the US government’s continued support to the offending Corporations for the non-appearance of The Dow Chemical Company (TDCC), USA for the second time on Monday.
Bhopal gas victims memorial statue (TCN file photo)
Activists from these organisations, addressing a press conference here, said they have sent letters to the Indian Prime Minister and the American President seeking effective action on this matter.
These activists include Rashida Bi of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh; Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha; Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangharsh Morcha; Satinath Sarangi and Rachna Dhingra from the Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Safreen Khan from the Children Against Dow Carbide.
On December 2-3, 1984, the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant at Bhopal leaked methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals leaked exposing hundreds of thousands of people to the deadly gases. Officials maintain the figure at a little above 15,000 people who were killed that night or soon in the days that followed. But the government has always failed to come up with exact numbers about those affected for life that day. Several victims and relatives of still other victims got only Rs 25000 as compensation.
The organisations pointed out that Union Carbide, USA was charged with grave criminal offences including culpable homicide for the 1984 disaster but it is absconding from the Bhopal District court since 1992. Under these circumstances, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bhopal had summoned Dow Chemical that owns Union Carbide, USA to explain why it does not make its subsidiary face trial in the criminal case on the disaster.
According to the organisations, the Bhopal court’s notice was twice served on Dow Chemical through the US State and Justice Departments under the mutual legal assistance treaty. However, the Corporation that, in the court’s view, is harbouring the absconding Union Carbide, has chosen to ignore the court’s notice, they claimed.
The organizations said that the Indian government’s failure to make Dow Chemical honour the Bhopal court’s directions is particularly appalling since the American corporation does extensive business in India through its more than six subsidiaries. They said the government’s repeated failure holds ominous portent for the ‘Make in India’ campaign launched by the Prime Minister with much fanfare.
The organisations condemned the low priority accorded to the ongoing criminal cases on the world’s worst industrial disaster. They said that while the state government had promised day-to-day hearing, the case for enhancement of punishment of the Indian accused has not moved at all in the last four years. They also complained that recently the criminal case against Union Carbide USA has been transferred from the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court to the court of a lower magistrate who has never dealt with such a matter.
The organisations also condemned the actions of Dow Chemical’s lawyer Sanjay Gupta in Bhopal, who obtains information on the case through bribing court officials. A member of the survivors’ organizations was physically attacked by Gupta on Monday when he objected to his clandestine activities in court, the activists alleged.
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