Bhopal's long fight for justice

Sanjay Sharma with his nephew, Anshul. Photo / David Graham

Twenty five years ago, Sathyu Sarangi's life changed immeasurably.

At the time, he was living about 130km from Bhopal in a small village, but when he heard the news on the radio he left immediately for the stricken city to offer his help. Memories of 1984 remain vivid and what Sarangi witnessed will never leave him.

"When I arrived in Bhopal at the railway station there were thousands of panicked people. People were in pain, they were groaning, their eyes and faces were swollen. Some were carrying dead bodies. I went to help in the bustees (slum areas) and there were whole families lying dead on the floors of their homes - men, women and children. I recall seeing large piles of bodies being burned, a man with his head covered in blisters, people digging mass graves. I was not prepared for this mentally," he says.

The 54-year-old, an acclaimed Indian human rights activist and writer, is speaking in Bhopal about his 25-year campaign to seek justice for Bhopal's gas victims and the marathon legal battle against Union Carbide and the corporate executive he wants held accountable for the catastrophe.

Sarangi initially intended to stay in Bhopal for a week, but those first few days proved such a recalcitrant experience that he gave up his home and studies and stayed in the city permanently.

He recalls that in the immediate aftermath of the gas leak, no information was being given to the people by the authorities and there were no medicines available to treat victims.

"While mass graves were being dug the Indian government was sneaking Union Carbide's chief executive out of the country. We decided to form an organisation to highlight the immediate concerns of the population and the campaign for justice grew from there," Sarangi says.

Investigations into the disaster revealed that something had gone fundamentally wrong with a tank storing methyl isocyanate (MIC). During the night of December 2/3, 1984, large amounts of water entered tank 610, containing methyl isocyanate.

The resulting reaction increased the temperature inside the tank to over 200C, raising the pressure to a level the tank was not designed to withstand. This forced the emergency venting of pressure from the MIC holding tank, releasing a large volume of toxic gases.

Union Carbide has always claimed that its Indian subsidiary - Union Carbide India Limited - was solely responsible for the management of the plant and that the accident was the result of sabotage.

Sarangi dismisses this as "nonsense" and says no evidence has been produced by Union Carbide to support its claim.