Survivors of Bhopal disaster protest for justice on 35th anniversary
- 4 years ago
Survivors of the Bhopal disaster in India protested on the site for the 35th anniversary (December 3), claiming local government had denied them justice following the catastrophic incident.
Organisations working for the survivors of the tragedy led protest marches in Old Bhopal area, where the now-defunct Union Carbide factory stands.
Placards reading "No More Bhopal" were carried by the participants during the procession which started from Bharat Talkies and ended at the abandoned factory premises.
Children of survivors presented a musical drama about the tragedy, its fallout and the problems being faced by the survivors. They demanded adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for the survivors, and more stringent punishment for those responsible for the disaster.
The disaster occurred on the nights of December 2-3, 1984, when 40 tonnes of the toxic chemical methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant.
Official estimates claimed this this killed over 5,000 people and injured thousands more, though unofficial estimates have claimed as many as 22,917 died by 2010 as a direct result of the disaster.
The state government only paid compensation for the 5,295 identified as killed in the official estimate, but protesters at the event claimed this ignored the tens of thousands affected by a host of conditions caused by inhaling the toxic gas.
Organisations working for the survivors of the tragedy led protest marches in Old Bhopal area, where the now-defunct Union Carbide factory stands.
Placards reading "No More Bhopal" were carried by the participants during the procession which started from Bharat Talkies and ended at the abandoned factory premises.
Children of survivors presented a musical drama about the tragedy, its fallout and the problems being faced by the survivors. They demanded adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for the survivors, and more stringent punishment for those responsible for the disaster.
The disaster occurred on the nights of December 2-3, 1984, when 40 tonnes of the toxic chemical methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant.
Official estimates claimed this this killed over 5,000 people and injured thousands more, though unofficial estimates have claimed as many as 22,917 died by 2010 as a direct result of the disaster.
The state government only paid compensation for the 5,295 identified as killed in the official estimate, but protesters at the event claimed this ignored the tens of thousands affected by a host of conditions caused by inhaling the toxic gas.