Children of survivors from the Bhopal gas disaster protest outside the office of the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi on the 28th anniversary of the disaster. The protesters demanded PM Singh intervene in the punishment of the corporations & their officials & for compensation for victims. Activists & victims of the 1984 accident have campaigned for going on 30 years against this outrageous injustice which leaves a legacy of massive environmental pollution, human sickness & disability. US-based Dow is now the owner of Union Carbide, whose neglect of safety systems to save money caused the pesticide plant to leak a toxic gas (an ingredient in pesticides the plant produced) into the city. 25,000 people were killed, half a million were injured, & the environment & water supply contaminated--creating generations of children suffering chemically-induced illness & neurological disabilities.
Their campaign against Dow receives little help from the Indian government since it is collusive in this criminal travesty. In June 2010, an Indian court indicted seven former managers at Union Carbide for negligence & sentenced them to two years in jail & a fine of $2,100. Despite public outrage in India, the Supreme Court there upheld corporate impunity & turned down an appeal for harsher sentences. It’s not yet clear how civil & criminal litigation against Dow will proceed since in June a US court absolved the company of all liability in the Bhopal disaster which means they are not liable for remediation or pollution-related claims. It’s not certain legal appeals are exhausted but political pressure on the courts & Dow can eventually render a just judgement. What is certain is that the survivors & activists cannot win this fight for justice on their own & the most active solidarity is required. Dow will forever stand indicted. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP)
Their campaign against Dow receives little help from the Indian government since it is collusive in this criminal travesty. In June 2010, an Indian court indicted seven former managers at Union Carbide for negligence & sentenced them to two years in jail & a fine of $2,100. Despite public outrage in India, the Supreme Court there upheld corporate impunity & turned down an appeal for harsher sentences. It’s not yet clear how civil & criminal litigation against Dow will proceed since in June a US court absolved the company of all liability in the Bhopal disaster which means they are not liable for remediation or pollution-related claims. It’s not certain legal appeals are exhausted but political pressure on the courts & Dow can eventually render a just judgement. What is certain is that the survivors & activists cannot win this fight for justice on their own & the most active solidarity is required. Dow will forever stand indicted. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP)
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