One year of Modi govt: Bhopal victims losing hope for justice

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By Abu Zafar, IndiaTomorrow.net,

New Delhi/Bhopal, 28 May 2015: As the Narendra Modi-led central government is patting its own back for achieving ‘great task’ for the people in one year of office, the victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy accused the government of failing in securing justice and providing rehabilitation to them since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime took charge in the centre in May last year.

Rashida Bi, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh, sees the current government as more problematic in resolving the issue of victims.

“This government is more problematic than previous one,” Rashida told IndiaTomorrow.net over the phone.

“We sat on hunger strike in November last year and Ananth Kumar, minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers accepted all our demands and requested us to end the strike and we did but neither he nor the government did anything to address our grievances,” she alleged.

“We have demanded that government should submit accurate statistics about affected people in the tragedy and compensate survivors who are suffering from various diseases,” she explained.

Rashida Bi claimed that only ₹ 25000 has been given to victims who were injured during the tragedy.

She said that victims don’t have any hope for justice especially in the period of the current government.
“We don’t have any hope from this government. They focus only to bring new companies to make profit and don’t force them to follow the law of the land,” she said

“Prime Minister Modi met American President Obama twice but he never raised the issue and didn’t ask to bring Dow to India and prosecute them,” Rashida Bi added.

The tragedy in the Union Carbide plant, Bhopal, took place on the intervening night of Dec 2-3, 1984. The Government estimated that within a few days after the incident about 3500 people died but independent data shows that the figure of death is between 8000 to 10000.

On the first anniversary of Modi government, some human rights organisations working for the gas victims organized a daylong conference in Bhopal on 26 May. Modi had assumed charge as PM of India the same day last year.
In the conference they also accused India’s premier investigating agency for favouring the American company in the case.

“The CBI that was prosecuting Dow Chemical’s Indian subsidiary, Dow Agro Sciences, deliberately suppressed evidence against the company and the criminal case of bribery was discharged by the CBI Special court last year,” Balkrishna Namdeo, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, said while addressing the conference.

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