What more, to endure

It was the midnight of 2^nd December, 1984 that proved to be a nightmare for those living in Bhopal. Around the intervening night of 2-3 December, 1984 a pesticide plant established on the outskirts of Bhopal leaked methyl isocyanate(MIC), a toxic gas was released that massacred around 20,000 people and maimed lakhs.

Around 25 years after this dreadful disaster, the government and the court have something to say for the public. All eight accused in the case have been convicted by the Bhopal High Court. It’s a shame that to convict 8 people for a case that resulted in the death of 20,000 people, it took 26 years. Even after these many years, victims are still suffering. This time it’s the worst consequences of corporate phlegm, judicial sluggishness and a society that simply failed to formulate a satisfying response to the tragedy. The charges with which the accused have been convicted with, leaves them with a crime comparable to a petty thief. People responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent people, physically impairing lakhs and fiddling with the life of millions will be sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 rupees! Moreover, the chief criminal, CEO of Union Carbides (UCC) is still absconding!

Can we call it justice? No, it’s rather a spitting on the face of the victims. It’s like making them feel that they were fools to have believed till now that they might get justice. If only time can heal such great wounds on the hearts of the victims, even that is denied. The execution of this case is just rubbing salt into those healing wounds.

On the wee hours of 3^rd December, 1984, the victims were taken to the hospital, dead bodies were lying like autumn leaves fallen on the ground, a mother was crying beside her son’s body, people were running away from their homes with their families in confusion and in the middle of this chaos, a police loudspeaker broadcasted: “Everything is normal”! ………..Was it normal? Can it ever be?