Organisations working in interest of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal on Monday said they would launch an indefinite dharna (sit-in) from January 3 to press for their demands of putting correct figures of deaths and injuries in the tragedy that took place years ago.
Since the Supreme Court will soon hear a curative petition filed by the state government in that case following a benign punishment to those who were convicted. The leaders of the organisations on Monday said and alleged state government has yet to make much needed corrections in the petition as promised by the state chief minister in response to the rail roko agitation held on December 3. “We will launch our move and demand from the state government to present correct figures of dead, injured and permanently disabled persons so that they can be compensated adequately,” said Rachna Dhingra, an activist who is fighting for the survivors.
So far the only assurance the organisations have received is that the concerned officials will be meeting with the additional Solicitor General of Madhya Pradesh on January 6 to discuss changes in figures of damage caused by the Union Carbide.
“Our dharna will continue till the figures in the curative petition are actually corrected.” said Rashida Bee, who had been awarded Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004.
The organisations will also be demanding dropping of false criminal charges against Bhopal gas victims and setting up an independent and impartial investigation as promised by the chief minister. “For peaceful protest action on the 27th Anniversary of the disaster, 2,000 Bhopalites are facing various criminal charges each more severe than the other,” said another activist.
The government is trying to criminalise the survivors’ efforts to claim their legal rights to adequate compensation,” said Balkrishna Namdeo, another activist who along with his colleagues, some older than 80 years, stands charged with murderous assault, arson, rioting and other grave charges.