Bhopal gas tragedy- Too little ...Too late !
After 26 years the long awaited verdict was announced in the Bhopal Gas tragedy …the pain of the pronouncement was not less than the pain it gave when it took away thousands of lives. People were left more agitated and annoyed. More than 20000 people died and lakhs were injured on a chilly winter night of December 2nd-3rd in 1984. The heart rending incident that took away the lives of lakhs of people…the Bhopal gas tragedy is back in news.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy was one of the world’s worst Industrial disaster of which the effects were seen in progeny to many generations. Twenty six years have passed since the country's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal which saw a cloud of deadly gases explode out of a faulty tank in a pesticide factory and silently spread into the homes of people. The horrific effects of the gas continue to this day. The Bhopal gas tragedy verdict has sparked nationwide anger. The Union carbide methyl isocynate gas leak was not less than a deadly terror attack that took away the lives of lakhs of people. After few days of the incident 9 people from union carbide factory were held responsible for the incident. The main accused behind the incident Warren Anderson was left on bail and later absconded from the country. After long 26 years when the verdict was announced few days back in the court…it left people with more anger and agitation. The verdict astonished everyone…the punishment for killing so many lives was just two years and surprising to that…it was announced for just seven then Indian employees of Mahindra and Mahindra the main accused warren Anderson was not executed in the verdict.
The real sting of the verdict lay in the refocusing of attention that Warren Anderson, the American who headed Union Carbide Corporation at the time of the tragedy, was allowed to leave India, and has never returned to face trial. Anderson flew into Bhopal on December 7, 1984, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and was flown out in hours on the official plane of the then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Arjun Singh. Union Carbide is named as the 10th accused in a criminal case charged with culpable homicide.
Now a nine member group of ministers have been appointed by the state capital to look into this controversial matter. The empowered group of ministers will decide the compensation for the victims and are also expected to decide a fresh roll of punishment for the accused in the case.
The verdict has sparked a nation wide anger…! It might not be politically expedient to chase the then absconder Warren Anderson after 26 years… but now the whole country has joined hands to know why just two years of punishment for twenty thousand lost lives.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy was one of the world’s worst Industrial disaster of which the effects were seen in progeny to many generations. Twenty six years have passed since the country's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal which saw a cloud of deadly gases explode out of a faulty tank in a pesticide factory and silently spread into the homes of people. The horrific effects of the gas continue to this day. The Bhopal gas tragedy verdict has sparked nationwide anger. The Union carbide methyl isocynate gas leak was not less than a deadly terror attack that took away the lives of lakhs of people. After few days of the incident 9 people from union carbide factory were held responsible for the incident. The main accused behind the incident Warren Anderson was left on bail and later absconded from the country. After long 26 years when the verdict was announced few days back in the court…it left people with more anger and agitation. The verdict astonished everyone…the punishment for killing so many lives was just two years and surprising to that…it was announced for just seven then Indian employees of Mahindra and Mahindra the main accused warren Anderson was not executed in the verdict.
The real sting of the verdict lay in the refocusing of attention that Warren Anderson, the American who headed Union Carbide Corporation at the time of the tragedy, was allowed to leave India, and has never returned to face trial. Anderson flew into Bhopal on December 7, 1984, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and was flown out in hours on the official plane of the then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Arjun Singh. Union Carbide is named as the 10th accused in a criminal case charged with culpable homicide.
Now a nine member group of ministers have been appointed by the state capital to look into this controversial matter. The empowered group of ministers will decide the compensation for the victims and are also expected to decide a fresh roll of punishment for the accused in the case.
The verdict has sparked a nation wide anger…! It might not be politically expedient to chase the then absconder Warren Anderson after 26 years… but now the whole country has joined hands to know why just two years of punishment for twenty thousand lost lives.
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