JUSTICE NOT DONE IN THE BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

JUSTICE NOT DONE
IN THE BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

The Court Monday 7th june,2010 convicted all eight accused, including the former chairman of Union Carbide,Keshbu Mahindra, in the Bhopan gas tragedy case and awarded them a maximum of two years imprisonment.
The verdict came 26 years after the tragedy on the night of December 2nd and 3rd,1984. Dozens of tonnes of poisonous methyl isocynate gas leaked out from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) and killed over 35,000 people in its aftermath, as many campaigners claim till date Warren Anderson, then chairman of U.S based union carbide group, who was named’ accused in the tragedy.
The judgment pronounced by chief Judicial Magistrate,Mohan P. Tiwari, convicted Mr Mahindra, then production assistant S.I Queseshi, then production manager S.P Choudhary, then plant superintendent K.V Shetty, then Manager J.N Mukund, then vice- president Kizhore Kumar and then managing director of the Company Vijay Gokhal. The ninth accusede R.B Roy Chodhary died in the course of trial.
The accused were convited under sections 304-A( causing death by negligence) 304(11),336,337and 338(gross negligence) of IPC. The FIR was lodged on December 3,1984 and the CBI filed the charge sheet on December first,1987.
Eminent lawyer KTS Tulsi agreed with the activists, who have been fighting for justice for the familes of victims said that” the investigating agencies as well as prosecutors mis handled the case. They must share the blame. Unfortunately,in this case they have not got justice. Thisindustrial disaster was converted in to something likea traffic accident.
Emotions ran high among relatives and survivors of the victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster as they demanded capital punishment. The survivors prepparing effigies of the accused of the industrial disaster and hanging them at different squares as it given us some solace from our sufferings.
Prof.John Kurakar
johnkurakar@yahoo.com