victim (gas)

Champa Devi

Women raising the sign of Chingari Trust. Champa and Rashida Bee are survivors of gas but they still have after-effects. They were the pioneers in the fight for justice in Bhopal by creating, since 1987, two trade unions of women survivors: the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS), and the Bhopal Gas PeeditMmahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh (BGPMSKS).

Image: © Micha Patault

Champa : "We don't want Warren Anderson put to death. We want to see him put in a dark cell somewhere, in prison. We want him to feel what we felt, when we were separated from our children, when our husbands died, when we couldn't see our families any more."
Rashida Bee: "Why, we asked them*, are you following a double standard** ? A human life is worth the same, whether they live in America or in the jungles of India. A human life should be worth the same."

You can help these childs with donations.

* Meet with the director of the headquarters of Dow Chemical
** About a case in which Dow acquired an asbestos factory that Union Carbide had owned, and in that instance, Dow was accepting U.C.'s pending liabilities, because America is a powerful country, but India is a poor country, and that's why Dow doesn't accept responsibility.", specifies Rashida Bee.

Aborted fœtus in 1984

The night of the catastrophe saw 40% of the pregnant mothers falling through of foetus whereas they tried to escape the gas emission. Those are preserved by Dr. Satpathy, medico-legal expert of Bhopal Hamidia hospital.

Image: © Micha Patault

The abortions did not stop in 1984. According to some studies*, the rate of abortions was of 7,63% in the zones affected by the catastrophe of Union Carbide, against 3% in the pilot zones.
In addition to the abortions, women reached must face problems with infertility, menstrual cycles (irregularity, absence, delay or early stop, excessive bleedings…), without speaking about the diseases of their children (congenital malformations, delays of growth, backwardnesses…).
In response to the suspicion of an increase in the cervical cancer risk associated with exposure to the gas or contaminated water, the Sambhavna clinic has initiated a cervical screening project.

* Indian Council of Medical Research, 1990

Barkat Ali, 52 years old

The story of Barkat Ali is a tragic tale of compounded injustices. Accused of a murder he did not commit, he was imprisoned at Vidisha and transferred to Bhopal in 1982. A gas victim, he continued to serve his sentence for 8 years as his health worsened. He was released in 1989, and moved to Nawab Colony, a neighbourhood whose water is highly contaminated. In 2006, Barkat lost his 16 year old step-sister after multiple cardiac complications. In 2008, he participated to the Padyatra.

Image: © Micha Patault

On February 20th, 2008, 50 Bhopalis repeated the Padyatra (March) to pressure the Prime Minister to keep his promises. They insisted that a long-term Special Commission be established on health, economic rehabilitation, drinking water and environmental protection. They simultaneously demanded that the government take legal action against Dow Chemical and Union Carbide.
After 800 km and 38 days of walking, the padyatris held a sit-in in New Delhi. Multiple campaign actions were launched and the slogan ‘‘Walk your Talk’’ resonated as a leitmotif. ‘‘We will not return to Bhopal until our demands are met by the Prime Minister !’’ declared the padyatris (Hindi for marchers).

Gulab Bai, 75 years old

Gulab Bai participated in the 2006 Padyatra (march), in which she had vested much hope. “I was shocked to see how the government could make such promises without ever keeping them. I am determined to see our demands met, no matter what the cost. (...) I am marching for justice and the dignity of all the victims suffering from corporate abuses and the negligence of our government. This march is all the more important as it carries with it all of the efforts of the first march…"

Image: © Micha Patault

The Padyatra is an act of civil disobedience deployed toward political ends by Gandhi as part of his concept of Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance). Later, this concept would be applied in a systematic way in the service of a wide range of political protests.
800 km separates Bhopal from New Delhi. The padyatris (walker) covered an average of 25 kms a day, from 5am to 6pm, for 38 days.