Bhopal Gas Tragedy -----------

I confess: I really don’t know how to title my piece because that is what the lives of the people who survived or lost their loved ones on that fateful night of 2-3 Dec’84 look like: blank, absolutely.

And so is India – blank – even 26 years post that fateful night.

Today, the courts tried to fill in that “blank” with whatever paltry of everything they were left with: justice, sympathy, sentencing, verdict, penalty, punishment … all in miniscule proportion when compared to the scale of the tragedy. The so-called compensation which the victims got earlier was even paltrier in comparison.

Rs. 25,000 penalty and 2 years jail for 20,000 deaths! The mathematics is mindboggling! Hardly a rupee for every life lost? Not even a night in prison for every life extinguished forever?

To add insult to injury: all convicts were granted bail immediately after the sentencing!

If it is not an absolute mockery of justice, then what is it? How could the judiciary be so cruel in delivering? How could the government act so insensitive? It is a classic case where all four pillars of the Indian establishment failed miserably, Media included. (I wonder if any other news channel other than the Times Now – Arnab Goswami – had the courage to accept its own inadequacies in covering this monumental disaster. Though, honestly, Rajdeep Sardesai was equally effective and passionate in debating and bringing this horrible story to all of us on CNN-IBN.)

I vividly remember the morning of 3^rd December 1984 when my father had switched on the television for me to note down the “Today’s News” for school assembly and subsequently to be put on notice board for students' perusal. Even when I was - as always - in a hurry to catch my school bus and was, thus, furiously noting down the important “headlines” - that day TV had only one - I found myself freeze with pain seeing some of the horrible visuals of victims. And when Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister, came to share his grief with the nation, I simply went into a paralytic state. Whatever I was watching was simply nightmarish!

In those days there was the Doordarshan solely to share the happenings – news – from India and all around the world. And I as a child had only a year ago got "really" interested in current affairs; my “transformation” was all thanks to the fervour surrounding the Cricket World Cup in 1983 which we won to the nation’s huge delight! Then came the assassination of Indira Gandhi and India got its youngest ever prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. As you must have guessed by my tone, I became Rajiv uncle’s “fan-at-first-sight”! I was – still am – such an ardent admirer of him that I used to maintain a “news diary” for noting down his day-to-day movements and activities as the PM. It was this habit which got me deeply involved with the details of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy even at that young age. Union Carbide, Methyl Isocyanide became the scare words.

Twenty six years have passed by since then. India has seen many governments go by at the Center and the State but no one – I repeat, absolutely no government or the party – ever showed enough eagerness or seriousness to bring the perpetrators to the books. Rather the entire Indian government machinery went into collusion, manipulating the process and the progress of the case to suit the interests of the irresponsible corporate and its officials – so much so that the case against the UCIL was dropped only a couple of years later; the CEO was allowed to leave the country; the firm was permitted to sell off its Indian business; the number of dead and survivors were grossly under reported in order to reduce the compensation burden on the culprit company, … . It is a sad tale of comprehensive corporate negligence and criminal connivance by the Indian establishment and the Union Carbide, reflecting complete disregard for all “non-privileged” Indians, living or dead!

If only a similar tragedy would have happened in the Unites States of America, can we even imagine how much in compensation the company would have had to pay? Union Carbide would have gone bankrupt long ago! And, of course, Warren Anderson, its CEO would not have remained absconding! The US would have ensured his extradition from any part of the world he had hid into! … (Barack Obama has already ordered a criminal probe in BP’s recent failure to contain oil spill. And believe me, it will not take forever for the findings to come out and verdict be delivered.)

Let’s accept the fact: India has failed one and all - in dealing with the aftermaths of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Perhaps willfully; simply to appease the US investors. … Shameful; Disgusting; Nauseating; to say the least.

The saddest part of the story is that in those days India had only the government controlled Doordarshan which most of the times sounded like party-in-power’s mouthpiece. Thus, the truth and ground realities were distorted at will in this tragic case of worst industrial disaster. Moreover, in this case too, with passage of time, other “big news” items caught up with populace’s imagination and the story of the Bhopal Gas victims almost got erased from the collective conscience of the country.

I am sure that if only the Indian newscape had numerous news channels like today, the sheer competition to stay ahead with “Breaking News” in TRP race would have ensured justice for victims and adequate punishment for culprits. And the case too would not have dragged – that too only to its half conclusion – for 26 long years!

Nevertheless, what is immensely baffling is the fact that in today’s scenario with inevitable intense Media scrutiny, the Indian systems – including the Judiciary – could dare to display an absolute insensitive attitude with its joke-like justice. Probably the courts misjudged the Media reaction completely; they perhaps thought that in an “old” and “not-so-interesting” case, Media will not take much interest – as it had not shown much concern earlier ever.

If you find it hard to believe, just recollect the Media hysteria around Medha Patkar’s one-of-numerous attempts at fast-unto-death at the Jantar Mantar only a couple of years ago. Aamir Khan was in Delhi – strategically? – and wished to visit her to persuade her to end the fast. By mistake he entered the protest camp just opposite the Patkar’s but left immediately realizing his folly. The Activists in the “opposite camp” were the representatives for Bhopal Gas victims and their efforts was sans any Media glare unlike Patkar’s drama just across the road!

Therefore, today, the Media which takes enormous pride in its Activisms cannot absolve itself of its responsibilities as a social “watchdog”. It too needs to introspect. The only appreciable thing about it in this case is its “belated” initiatives post courts’ disastrous verdict today, which I still believe has the potential to force all concerned to act accountably from now on.

But in all fairness, it is not the Media but the various arms of the Indian establishment which are primarily accountable for ensuring appropriate justice for victims and sufficient sentence for accused.

Nonetheless, the Media will once again have to take up the case of Bhopal Gas victims with enough seriousness and sincerity that it manifested in myriad cases: from Jessica to Ruchika. … Media is increasingly becoming the last straw in almost all cases in India of today. Not a healthy sign. But till we witness social and political revolution, the Media will have to keep up its good work to keep India functioning. And India is proud of its Media.

Hopefully, the victims of the Bhopal Gas tragedy will see a "closure" soon with adequate justice delivered