Home | Friday 27th June 2008 | Issue 637

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STARVING FOR JUSTICE

Gassed by Union Carbide, poisoned by Dow Chemical, betrayed and beaten by their own government, the people of Bhopal, India know a thing or two about injustice but still they refuse to accept it. Four months ago, 50 survivors of the world’s biggest industrial massacre (after 23 years, 23,000 dead and counting - see SchNEWS 580) walked 500 miles to Delhi and have been living on a sliver of pavement near the Indian parliament ever since. For the last 18 days, seven of them, plus three of their supporters, have been on indefinite hunger strike, and are now showing developed signs of starvation.

They say they won’t eat again until Prime Minister Singh ensures a special commission to finally take care of the medical, social and economic needs so badly neglected since 1984: around 120,000 in Bhopal are severely ill due to the tonnes of lethal gas released by Union Carbide, with thousands too disabled to earn a living.

Another 25,000 are still being poisoned today by highly toxic chemicals oozing from the abandoned pesticides factory. Brain damaged and malformed children are rife around the plant. 54-billion-dollar company Dow, which owns Carbide, says gas survivors’ £500 per head compensation money should cover the clean up costs.

Inconveniently for Dow, Indian law employs the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Undaunted, Dow’s CEO set up private meetings with Indian officials to demand they drop a legal request that Dow pay up, with $1 billion investment as a carrot. The Prime Minster’s office quickly set about doing the necessary.

In addition to fighting this treachery, the Bhopalis also demand the Indian government fulfil its duty as prosecutor by extraditing Dow’s 100% owned subsidiary Carbide, charged with mass homicide but refusing to turn up in court. To get things moving, they’ve taken peaceful direct actions at the PM’s house and offices. For asking the law to do its job, police dragged 36 Bhopalis to a station and beat them up, including girls as young as six and eleven. The next day, the Bhopal ten stopped eating.

The Bhopal survivors are asking people everywhere to join them in solidarity. On Saturday June 28th, cities around the world will observe public fasts.

You can find out more at www.bhopal.net.

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