| Recently the first tier judicial verdict on the Bhopal | | | | babies, many without limbs... ) have revolted against |
| Gas leak disaster of 1984 has come out after long 26 | | | | the present Government led by Congress Party. |
| years of legal battle. | | | | The real tragedy now is that the ruling Congress |
| For the benefit of those not residing in India, I give | | | | Party is trying to shun its responsibility of not only |
| here brief details of the case. | | | | helping the CEO to flee the country but also diluting |
| Union Carbide Ltd, an American multinational company | | | | the case consciously. The ones who are expected to |
| dealing in chemicals was functioning in Bhopal, in the | | | | be answerable viz., the Prime Minister Manmohan |
| state of Madhya Pradesh. A gas pipe carrying Methyl | | | | Singh, the ruling party president Sonia Gandhi and the |
| Isocyanate, a deadly poisonous and toxic gas seeped | | | | young prime minister in the waiting Rahul Gandhi are |
| out of the carbide plant killing over twenty thousand | | | | keeping blissful silence and other ministers are making |
| people and maiming over a hundred thousand till the | | | | nonsensical, crass and stupid statements. The |
| deadly gas completely exhausted itself, on a fatal | | | | environment Minister Jairam Ramesh holds a fistful of |
| December midnight of 1984. Almost 100% of the | | | | soil from the site of tragedy and declares it is not |
| people died and maimed were poor people living in | | | | contaminated and asks the people to forget the |
| the slums adjacent to the plant. The then Congress | | | | thing of over 25 years! The finance minister Pranab |
| Government at the center sprang into action | | | | Mukharji tells the people that Anderson was allowed |
| immediately. A CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) | | | | to flee India because of the fears of law and order |
| inquiry was initiated. The investigation revealed that | | | | situation getting worse! |
| the management knew of the possible leakage of | | | | The Congress party is making the then Madhya |
| the deadly gas well in advance but did nothing. The | | | | Pradesh chief minister Arjun Singh a scapegoat saying |
| CEO of the company Warren Anderson, an American | | | | that he allowed Anderson to escape through his own |
| citizen was put under house arrest. All went well in | | | | plane without the prime minister's permission and |
| the beginning. The incumbent Government did all | | | | strangely enough, Argun Singh is neither denying nor |
| possible things to console the survivors of the | | | | accepting the allegation. |
| tragedy. Then came the political pressure from | | | | What about America? Another conspiracy seems to |
| America on the then prime minister Late Rajiv Gandhi | | | | be brewing. Dow Chemicals has bought Union Carbide |
| for the safe return of Anderson to his homeland | | | | but has disclaimed Bhopal. It wants to come to India |
| without any problem. The first demand by the | | | | promising huge investments. It has kept $ 2 billion |
| Government of India on behalf of the victims of the | | | | aside for asbestos victims in another case in America. |
| disaster was USD 3.3 billion towards compensation. | | | | But it has no money for Bhopal victims but wants its |
| The CBI charge sheet in 1987 sought a jail sentence | | | | lands back from the Government which has |
| of 10 years for culpable homicide, not amounting to | | | | confiscated the same from Carbide! Hey, human |
| murder. The then Chief Justice of India A. H. Ahmadi | | | | rights activists in America, are you listening? Only |
| watered this down. Ahmadi was duly rewarded with | | | | Americans have reserved all the human rights and |
| grand post-retirement benefits. Now after 26 years | | | | none others in the world huh? |
| of painful waiting for the justice for which many | | | | All the three pillars of democracy - legislative, |
| NGOs (Non-Governmental Organization) also strived | | | | administrative, and judiciary have connived to deny |
| vigorously, the verdict is for a compensation of only | | | | the right to live for the poor in this country and big |
| USD 480 million! Less than a pittance! Common man | | | | brother is perhaps helping in this conspiracy. Can |
| and more importantly the survivors and their legal | | | | justice be distributed equally? I believe it remains an |
| heirs of the victims, dead and maimed (many lost | | | | illusion for ever. |
| eyesight, pregnant mothers gave birth to deformed | | | | |