One of the deadliest industrial disasters in history occurred in the shadowy hours of December 2, 1984, in the city of Bhopal, which is located in central India.
Death was brewing at Union Carbide’s (a symbol of industrial development) Bhopal pesticide plant, Tank Number 610 of Plant Number C.
Official documents state that methyl isocyanate escaped into the plant’s cooling water supply. A massive amount of gasses were produced, and as the gaseous pressure built up, the tank cover gave way, releasing an estimated 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals into the atmosphere.
Approximately 3,787 people, many of whom were asleep, perished from the toxic gas within hours of the tragedy, according to official data.
The government admitted in a 2006 affidavit that 5,58,125 people were injured as a result of the Bhopal gas disaster, with about 3,900 of those injuries being serious enough to cause permanent disability.
More than half of the 8,50,000 people living in Bhopal in 1984 reported having respiratory problems, eye and skin discomfort, and coughing. The villages and slums close to the factory suffered the most from the gas’s effects, which included respiratory illnesses, vision problems, impaired motor skills, psychological stress, and other medical conditions.
The ultimate tragedy: Timeline
Just after one in the morning, the gas leak was made officially known, setting off a chain of events that would reveal the government’s and the plant’s own disarray and lack of preparation.
While on patrol close to the factory, town inspector Chahat Ram Singh received a wireless message about the gas leak from the police room just after 1:00 am. But the next response exposed a startling lack of planning and a breakdown in communication.
When the city superintendent of police, Swaraj Puri, arrived at the control room at 1:30 am, he found himself in a dangerous scenario where nobody was exactly sure what had transpired.
In a 1984 interview with India Today Magazine, Bhopal Commissioner Ranjeet Singh described the bizarre events that took place in great detail. There was a Kafkaesque upheaval in the city, with people fleeing outside the streets and the city.
Calls to alert hospitals were made due to the urgency of the situation, and the army moved quickly under the leadership of Major GS Khanuja, who organized continual evacuations to military and Hamidia hospitals at great personal danger.
It was the city’s additional district magistrate, not corporate workers, who informed Works Manager J Mukund about the disaster.
Remarkably, when the gas leak was discovered at 1:00 am, it took 45 minutes to notify him. In the immediate neighborhood of the factory, nearly 100,000 people evacuated their houses, overloading the meager public transportation system.
Tales of heroism surfaced, as a result of the army’s prompt action in response to the altruistic actions of people such as Brigadier Garg of Straw Products.
Medical professionals discovered that they lacked the necessary tools to deal with the unidentified consequences of MIC on humans. The crisis was made worse by shortages of medical personnel, hospital beds, and oxygen.
A “curative petition” against Dow Chemicals, which currently controls Union Carbide, before the Supreme Court brought the disaster back into the public eye in August 2022 by addressing flaws in the 1989 settlement for the Bhopal gas tragedy and by requesting more compensation for the victims.
A legal storm overtook the city in 1984 while it struggled with the immediate aftermath of the disaster. American attorneys questioned Union Carbide’s responsibility and sought damages. Compensation disputes were beset by legal difficulties, jurisdiction challenges, and ethical concerns.
Legislation that followed, such as the Public Liability Act of 1991 and the Environment Protection Act of 1986, sought to control the industries that handled dangerous chemicals.
A demand for USD 3.3 billion was made; ultimately, USD 470 million was deposited in February 1989.
Citing overestimated casualties during the original settlement, the Center sought an additional Rs 7,844 crore (USD 8.1 billion) in its curative plea, on top of the USD 470 million (Rs 715 crore in 1989) already paid by Union Carbide in a settlement.
The hearing for the curative petition was scheduled for August 2022, however it was postponed in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2020. The petition was submitted on the 26th anniversary of the accident in 2010.
The settlement could only be annulled on the grounds of fraud, which the government did not establish, according to the court, presided over by Justice SK Kaul.
The Center’s request for further compensation from Union Carbide Corporation in relation to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy was denied by the Supreme Court in March 2023.
The unsung heroes
Few people are aware of the true name of one of the major heroes from the night of the tragedy, even though the miniseries depicted the heroics of Bhopal’s unsung heroes. The Netflix series, The Railway Men is all about the people who stood brave enough at the frontline.
When the family of Ghulam Dastgir, the deputy superintendent at the Bhopal train station, realized how GD Babu’s name had remained hidden throughout the series, they were shocked. Dastgir, who played a crucial role in preventing a catastrophic event during the 1984 gas crisis, is said to have served as the model for the character “Iftikhar Siddiqui,” played by Kay Kay Menon. By approving the Mumbai-Gorakhpur Express on that tragic night, Ghulam Dastgir avoided a catastrophic disaster and numerous casualties.
The hero’s bravery came at a high cost. He suffered from throat cancer and passed away in 2003 after being exposed to methyl isocyanate during the gas leak.
Ghulam’s son Shadab Dastgir questioned the decision to rename the main character, arguing that the accurate account ought to have used the real names of individuals involved.
In actuality, the family had inked a deal with Small Box Films to film their father’s tale and provide financial assistance to the accident victims via a charitable endeavor. They were shocked by Yash Raj Films’ surprise entry into the story.
Yash Raj Films maintains that the series was not a biographical account and that it was based on publicly available information, yet legal notices that were exchanged in 2021 remain unresolved.
