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Bhopal Gas Tragedy...

The recent conviction and sentencing of the guilty executives of the ghoulish Union Carbide company is a slap on the face of a burgeoning democracy, like India. It is an assault on the very tenets of Justice & law enforcement and also on the state’s will to take the case to its logical conclusion.

When thousands of people were killed and maimed, the state was busy in scuttling the process under the carpet and helping the high and mighty go scot-free.
And when the high and mighty was an American, the cover up process got a fillip under the supervision of the then CM, Arjun Singh.The love affair between Congress party and western figures is nothing new as the Quattrochi episode speaks volumes of it.

UC fiasco was not only the worst possible industrial disaster in the world but also the most delayed trial coupled with horrible disaster management and rehabilitation.

When more money could have been sought from the parent company in US through lawsuits and fair trials, an out of court settlement was reached between Rajiv Gandhi and UC in 1989.Only 13% of the desired compensation amount was given by UC to the govt of India, under the stewardship of Rajiv Gandhi and his cronies.

Such is the apathy of the govt that the Supreme Court was moved to disburse the compensation amount to its benefactors. And till date, it is alleged that not everyone has been compensated.

We live in a country where poor people are treated like insects and there is no value for human life, irrespective of caste or religion. Ironically, the political party which appeases the minority Muslims were the ones who were killed the most. Yet the heights of complacency by the Congress party in handling the entire situation is best seen through the eyes of the living victims.

The govt & CBI went into an overdrive to expunge the name of Anderson, the prime offender charged with culpable homicide, lest it may cast a shadow on the nuclear liability bill. While the current law minister has said that Anderson can be tried in Indian courts, someone needs to remind him that the US court has already rejected extradition requests from the govt of India earlier. The govt lacks political will to seek Anderson’s extradition due to its vested interests.

Anderson’s name is not present in the main list of offenders as he is termed as absconding in the matter by US as well as India. However, even a journalist could track him down, living in a beautiful mansion in US, enjoying his expensive golf matches and dinner luncheons.

While toxic Methyl Isocyanate was the reason for thousands of deaths and deformities that affected future generations after 1984 in the Bhopal gas tragedy, the attitude of the govt and Congress will be penned down under the headings of “what not to do” in the books of Disaster management and Effective governance.

Comments

  1. this decision is the most vulger joke that I've heard in years.

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