[IndyMedia Bombay] Fwd: Mumbai demonstration: the National Campaign for Justice in

[Sanjay Bhangar]

Bhopal
Date: Mon, 08 Jul 2002 22:42:04 +0000
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


Mumbai demonstration in support of Bhopal activists on hunger strike 

Wednesday, July 10, at 4 p.m. 
Outside Asiatic Stores, Churchgate Station

>From June 26, Bhopal survivors have been on a relay hunger strike to
oppose two recent government decisions. Their demands: 

The Home Minister must direct the CBI to withdraw its application and
immediately move on extradition of Anderson and the representative/s
of Union Carbide from the USA. 

The government of Madhya Pradesh take back its decision to distribute
the balance of settlement funds to residents of 20 wards unaffected by
the disaster.. 

Please come with banners and placards. 
Please inform as many people as possible. 

For the National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal: 
Vinod Shetty, Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti, Maharashtra Kamgar
Sangharsh Samiti
61 Gandhi Nagar, 2709, 2nd floor, Bandra East, Mumbai 400 051. Tel:
645 8411; 651 4211

URGENT An Appeal for support to the Campaign for Justice in Bhopal

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------- 
Dear friends, 

Many of you will remember the December '84 chemical disaster in Bhopal when
half a million people were surrounded by deadly poison clouds in their sleep.
The disaster killed more than 8000 in its immediate wake. The death toll today
is well over 20, 000 and rising with more than 30 survivors dying every month.
The poisons entered the blood stream of the exposed people and damaged almost
every organ of their bodies. Today well over 120,000 survivors are in
desperate need of medical attention for chronic exposure induced diseases.
Tens of thousands of children born to exposed parents suffer from growth
retardation and worse. An overwhelming majority of the exposed people earned
their living through hard labour. Thousands of families are on the brink of
starvation because the breadwinners are too sick to work. Over 20,000 people
are today forced to drink water contaminated with cancer and other disease
causing chemicals that have been recklessly dumped and have seeped in to the
ground water. 

As you know, the principal author of this continuing disaster in Bhopal- the
worst of its kind in the world- is Union Carbide Corporation. There is
substantial evidence that this American multinational with complete control
over the pesticide factory in Bhopal, was deliberately negligent in its
location, design, operation and maintenance. Two years before the disaster,
the corporations safety experts warned of a "potential for the release of
toxic materials" in a business confidential memo. Warren Anderson, the
company's chairman and other senior executives ignored the warning and went
ahead with reducing plant personnel, shutting down vital safety systems and
keeping people in the neighbourhood in the dark about the deadly chemicals
stored, used and produced in the factory. 

The Indian government has been in cahoots with the corporation before, during
and in the aftermath of the disaster. Government agencies have actively
colluded to underplay the number of the dead, grossly under-assess the extent
of injuries and suppress medical information potentially disadvantageous to
the corporation. In February 1989, the Indian government entered in to a
collusive settlement with Union Carbide without the knowledge of, let alone
consultation with, the victims of Bhopal. The settlement cost the corporation
43 cents per share and 95% of the victims got a paltry sum of 25 thousand
rupees for injuries they are likely to suffer all their lives. From this
amount the government took back the money it had paid as relief to the victims
- about rupees ten thousand from every individual. In the distribution of
compensation people were denied their legal entitlement to the interest on the
compensation sum. This has resulted in a balance of well over rupees 1300
crores in the settlement fund after almost all victims have been paid. 

The Indian government's complicity in the crimes of Bhopal is most glaring in
its willful neglect in prosecuting Union Carbide and its officials. Charged
with homicide and other serious offences Union Carbide and its officials are
absconding from the proceedings in the Bhopal district court for the past ten
years. Different political parties have come to power at the centre in the
last ten years. None of these has taken the tiniest step to extradite the
corporate culprits. According to a secret internal memo, Indian government's
deliberate inaction stems from concerns that it would "jeopardize the
investment climate". As you can imagine, in addition to such systemic reasons,
inducements in the form of deposits in individual Swiss bank accounts can not
be ruled out. 

In February 2001, Union Carbide in a "vanishing act" merged into the Dow
Chemical Company of Midland, Michigan, USA. Dow, now the largest chemical
corporation in the world, has inherited the medical, social, environmental and
criminal liabilities arising out of the Bhopal disaster. Defying established
legal procedures and judicial principles in USA and India, Dow's pr speak on
Bhopal is that it does not hold itself liable for a factory they never
operated in a place they never have been. Continuing with Union Carbide's
tradition of liability evasion, Dow refuses to provide for long term health
care, income support to the destitute and the disabled and cleaning up the
ongoing contamination. 

Meanwhile in the longest struggle of its kind the survivors of Bhopal
continue to struggle facing the severest of odds. Members of the three
organizations of survivors majority of whom are women continue to meet every
week to talk, plan and agitate. Ever since the merger of Union Carbide with
Dow, hundreds of women survivors have twice stormed the headquarters of Dow,
India in Mumbai. In response Dow has sued for 77,000 Rupees against 17 persons
and organisations for damages done to its office. Faced with the agitation of
Bhopal survivors and their supporters in the USA Dow today promises to offer
concrete 'humanitarian" programs for the victims of Bhopal. This could as well
be pr speak. Quite clearly the surest way to get Dow to fulfill its
responsibilities in Bhopal is to establish its accountability [inherited
through the merger] in the ongoing criminal case. This is the job of the
prosecution - the Central Bureau of Investigation. And this is what the CBI
was told to do by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Bhopal district court
during the hearing on the case on April 10, 2002. 

Two current happenings have overtaken the ongoing pressure building on Dow.
In the hearing on the criminal case on the disaster on May 23rd, 2002 when the
CBI was supposed to present its results of investigation into the Dow-Carbide
merger - it presented an application that would in effect end the entire case
against Warren Anderson and by extension against Union Carbide/Dow. 

In the application the CBI, without doubt following instructions from the
highest authorities in the government, sought to dilute the criminal charges
from homicide 304 [ii] IPC , punishable by 10 years imprisonment and fine to
negligence 304[a] IPC, punishable by maximum two years imprisonment or fine.
Through this second betrayal of the Bhopal people, the Indian government seeks
to convert the worst industrial massacre in history in to a crime equivalent
to a car accident. Worse still, if the CBI's application is granted there
would no longer be any legal basis left for extraditing Anderson or the
authorized representatives of the corporation. The Indo-US extradition treaty
does not cover car accidents. The CJM, Bhopal is expected to deliver a
decision on CBI's application during the next hearing on the criminal case on
July 17-18, 2002. 

The other current burning issue of Bhopal also demonstrates the utter apathy
of the central government towards the victims of Union Carbide. On June 7th
the Group of Ministers [GoM] on Bhopal in the central government declared that
the residents of the 20 municipal wards of Bhopal hitherto considered
unaffected by the disaster would be given compensation from the balance of the
settlement fund. Given that there has been no evidence of exposure among these
residents [in fact the ICMR drew its sample of unexposed persons from these
wards] the only qualification the residents seem to have is that they are
mostly Hindus. The GoM took this decision on a demand put forth by Uma Bharati
the MP from Bhopal better known for her cheerleader role in the demolition of
the Babri mosque by the saffron goons in 1992. The cynical decision of the GoM
is a blatant attempt to rob the people of the 36 gas affected wards to appease
the Hindu vote bank. Its Gujarat all over again. 

The state government in its turn has opposed the demand of the BJP MP. This
opposition articulated by the Minister for Gas Relief, however, is not
motivated by any respect for the legal rights of the victims. The state
government would that the funds are handed over for it to spend on provision
of drinking water supply, disposal of residual chemicals and other activities.
Funding these vital activities, as outlined by the survivors, is strictly the
responsibility of Dow Chemicals. Four years back the state government allowed
Union Carbide to abandon the factory site without paying for its
rehabilitation. Today it seeks to rob the gas victims to bail out Dow.
Additionally, the Comptroller and Auditor General's yearly reports on MP
government's mishandling of moneys meant for gas victims make it the last
agency to be entrusted with public funds for this purpose. The GoM on Bhopal
is likely to finalize its decision in mid-July. 

Last year in Britain a senior civil servant put a memo around her department.
Saying "today is a good day to bury bad news" - it was September 11th. In
similar vein both the central and state governments hope that the noise of the
war will bury the news of the betrayal. This and the fact that the issue of
Dow's criminal and other liabilities are reaching a decisive stage seem to
have influenced the timing of the government's latest decisions on Bhopal. 

The survivors of Bhopal have decided to oppose the two decisions of the
Indian government both in the court and through a relay hunger strike in New
Delhi starting from June 26th. Their demand is that: 

i. The Home Minister direct the CBI to withdraw its application and
immediately move on extradition of Anderson and the representative/s of Union
Carbide from the USA. 

ii. The GoM take back its decision to distribute compensation to the
residents of the 20 wards from the balance of the settlement funds and make
arrangement for payment of interest to the victims of the 36 wards with
immediate effect. 

Bhopal: Rashida Bi, President, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari
Sangh, House no. 12, Gali no. 2, near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal.
Balkrishna Namdeo, President, Gas Peedit Nirashrit Morcha, A - 542, Housing
Board Colony, Aishbag, Bhopal Tel : 0755 - 757619 
Abdul Jabbar, Convenor, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, 51,
Rajendra Nagar, Bhopal, Tel : 0755 - 242727 
Satinath Sarangi, Member, Bhopal Group for Information and Action, B-2 / 302,
Sheetal Nagar, Berasia Road, Bhopal contact Tel: 0755 - 730914 
Contact email : justiceinBhopal@yahoo.co.in 

Delhi E. Deenadayalan, The Other Media, B-14, (Second Floor), Gulmohar Park,
New Delhi - 110 067, Tel: 6514847 / 6561743, Fax: 6511504, 
Email : admin@del3.vsnl.net.in 

Mumbai Vinod Shetty, Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti, Maharashtra Kamgar
Sangharsh Samiti, 61 Gandhi Nagar, 2709, 2nd floor, Bandra East, Mumbai 400
051. Tel: 645 8411 
Email : vinodshetty@hotmail.com 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nity68@vsnl.com  
Sent: Sunday, July 07, 2002 12:01 PM 

Subject: Day 9: Bhopal hunger strikers 
Satyagraha on the Move: 7 July 2002      Day 9 of the Hunger Strike for
Justice in Bhopal            As they entered the 9th day of their hunger
strike, the hunger strikers continue to lose weight. Tara Bai, a gas victim,
is required to be under close observation because of her blood sugar levels
had dropped to 38 yesterday. Rasheeda Bee, also a gas victim prone to
long-lasting headaches and anxiety attacks, has also registered a substantial
increase in blood pressure. Sathyu is doing better under the circumstances.
However, hopes and spirits remain high. Survivors from Bhopal, at least 50 of
whom, are constantly present at the site of the protest keep the moods up by
singing songs and chanting slogans.            

Support is growing from various quarters against the Government's
insensitivity and refusal to acknowledge the legitimate demands of the Bhopal
survivors.            

Notably, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi has assured the survivors that
Congress will raise the issue in the parliament during the forthcoming
session. CPI, CPI (M) and CPI (ML) have also committed their support.
Meanwhile, the entire country seems enthralled by the death of Indian
industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani (of Reliance Industries).            

A strongly worded memorandum was delivered to the Prime Minister's Office
indicting the Government of selling out to multinational interests and
substantiating the claims in a well-argued document. Those of you who would
like a copy of this document may write to nity68@vsnl.com or
admin@del3.vsnl.net.in with the subject: PM's Bhopal Memo.            

The press conference held at the Dharna site on July 7 was well attended, and
was rounded off by a moving street play by youth from Jana Natya Manch, a
progressive street theatre group highlighting current political and social
issues. One group of Bhopal survivors and some leaders have returned to Bhopal
to mobilise people for a rally on the 15th July to coincide with the lead up
to the opening of the parliament session.            

On 8 July at 4 p.m., the Chairperson of NHRC Justice (retd) Verma has invited
the survivors for a meeting. Subsequently. a complaint will be delivered to
the Secretary of the NHRC regarding the human rights violations implicit in
the Government's handling of the Bhopal gas disaster and the survivors of the
same.            

Preparations are afoot for the rally on 10 July, and supporters from United
States and United Kingdom are planning solidarity activities on that day in
their respective countries.            

For the National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal      E. Deenadayalan &
Nityanand Jayaraman      nity68@vsnl.com      admin@del3.vsnl.net.in