Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The members of 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy victim support organisation took out a rally on Wednesday to observe the 41st anniversary of the horrific industrial disaster. They carried effigies of Union Chemical Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the RSS.
They condemned the government for its “unholy nexus” with an American corporation that is still sheltering company Union Carbide-- a fugitive in the criminal case.
Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, in a press statement, mentioned “The levels of support the Indian government has extended to Dow Chemical will shock anyone. The latest is the transport of discarded chemical plant machinery by Dow Chemical from Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany and using them for its factory in Dahej Gujarat. Dow is forced to dismantle many of its chemical plants in Germany and other parts of Europe because of strict environmental regulations.”
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The disaster killed 15k to 20k people, while millions of survivors were left with long-term health issues such as respiratory diseases, vision loss and other severe complications caused by exposure to the toxic gas.
There are victims who are suffering the consequences of the inhaling the posonous gas till date. Demanding justice and compensations, the victim support organisation stages protests each year.
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BJP, RSS, Police jointly stop the protest
This year also, the protest was carried out in Bhopal.
However, just a few steps after the rally began, workers of the RSS and BJP allegedly stopped the march and snatched the effigies from the protesters. Shortly after the confrontation, police also stopped the rally completely.
The organisation had planned the march to demand justice for survivors and to highlight what they call government negligence even four decades after the disaster. But the interruption led to tension at the spot, forcing police to disperse the crowd.
No major clash was reported, but the incident added to the ongoing debate over accountability and support for gas tragedy victims.
