Bhopal Protest in San Francisco, June 23, 2010

On June 7, 2010, more than 25 years after the disaster, a court in Bhopal has issued the first verdict against Union Carbide India Limited (a subsidiary of Union Carbide at the time of the disaster) and 7 individuals accused in the criminal case. The accused were given a very light sentence of 2 years of jail and $2000 in fines and have already been left off on bail. The Bhopal Disaster has claimed over 23,000 lives over the past 25 years, and thousands of people have been suffering from severe ailments resulting from exposure to methyl isocyanate and water contaminated by the toxic waste left behind.

At the core of denial of justice is the fact that Union Carbide Corporation and its former CEO Warren Anderson, the principal accused in the case, have thus far escaped trial. UCC (now owned by Dow Chemical Company) and Anderson have been charged with culpable homicide, but have ignored summons to appear in court. Both the government of India and the state government of Madhya Pradesh have been treating the issue very casually, and have been instrumental in allowing the culprits escape both law and ones responsibilities.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Dow
• Bhopal
• Union
• Carbide
• AID
• ICJB