bhopal movement - the survival of the spirit

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster over three hundred social and charity organizations and thousands of individuals provided, directly and indirectly, medical relief and other services to the survivors of the disaster. Social and activist organizations outside Bhopal expressed support for the survivors and outrage against the Corporation. College students demonstrated outside Union Carbides' Danbury headquarters, protestors "occupied" UCC offices in Bombay and Sheffield and molotov cocktails were thrown at the Corporation's offices in Germany. But such spontaneous charity and protest, both in Bhopal and outside, dropped drastically by the end of December 1984.

In a year's time, protest demonstrations, alternative relief, research activities and campaign work in Bhopal were largel y left to be carried out by two survivors organizations, namely Zahreeli Gas Kan d Sangharsh Morcha (Poisonous Gas Disaster Struggle Front) and Nagarik Rahat Aur Punarvas Samiti (Citizens Relief and Rehabilitation Committee). They moved on issues of proper medical and material assistance for survivors, establishment of civil and criminal liability for the disaster and publication of vital medical and scientific information. This was not easy in the face of routine police attacks.

Large number of activists were arrested and a health clinic by these organizations was raided by police, confiscating medical records and equipment and arresting six volunteer doctors. The involvement of these organizations, however, petered out by 1986 as a result of government repression, dissensions within and between organizations and peoples' loss of faith in the middle class leadership. The number of groups active in campaign and solidarity work outside Bhopal also came down in this period to about ten within the country and an equal number abroad. Organizations of professionals such as Medico Friend Circle, Drug Action Forum, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, Delhi Science Forum and others critically intervened on issues of survivors health, medical care and medical and scientific information sending teams of voluntary doctors and scientists for relief and research activities.

At least four organizations initiated and led by the survivors themselves sprung up in 1986 to continue the struggle at Bhopal. Initially concerned with immediate problems of jobs, destitute pensions and regularization of employment they soon took up medical, monetary relief, criminal liability of Union Carbide, compensation, environmental rehabilitation and corruption and misallocation of resources by government officials as their rallying points.

The organizations grew in strength and effectiveness and one of them, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS - Bhopal Gas Affected Women Organization) had more than 10,000 members within the first two years of its formation. In contrast with organizations formed earlier, women played a more active and sustained role in the survivors' organizations. One support group started functioning in Bhopal from 1986 and similar groups in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo and a few other cities got formed for sustained action on Bhopal. Involvement of groups outside Bhopal, however, decreased in the subsequent years.

At present there are four survivors organizations who continue to be active-

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS)
Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha (NPBSM, Destitute Pensioners Struggle Front)
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mabila Stationery Karmwhari Sangh (BGPMSKS, Bhopal Gas Affected Stationary Women Employees Union) and
Zahareeli Gas Kand Sangharsh Morcha (ZGKSM).

Since their formation, two of the largest organizations BGPMUS and NPBSM have handed over two hundred petitions each to senior government officials including the Prime Minister and the President.

On one occasion about a hundred women from BGPMSKS walked for 40 days with their children in their arms to deliver a petition to the Prime Minister in New Delhi. In all BGPMUS and NPBSM have marched on over four hundred occasions on non-violent demonstrations with an average participation of over one thousand people. BGPMUS members have sat on 'dharna" (sit-in) at least on 300 occasions during of which they starved themselves for days to register protest. In addition to ill-health, poverty, family restrictions and bureaucratic apathy, women survivors have had to face government repression at its cruelest.

Their demonstrations have been attacked by policemen with sticks and stones at least 40 times, leading to bleeding heads and fractured limbs on several occasions. Thousands of survivor activists have been arrested and detained over a hundred times. More than ten criminal cases have been instituted against over one hundred activists of the organizations on trumped up criminal charges such as attempt to murder and causing grievous injury. Charges of violation of Official Secrets Act are still pending on members of the solidarity group in Bhopal since September 1986.

There are at least six solidarity organizations and networks who continue to provide support to the survivor's struggle -

Bhopal Action Resource Centre (New York)
British Support Group for Justice in Bhopal (London)
Asian Victims for a Hazard Free Environment (a coalition of survivors organizations from 12 Asian countries)
Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti (Bhopal Gas Affected Peoples Struggle Support Committee, New Delhi) - a coalition of 30 Delhi-based organizations and
Bhopal Group for Information and Action (Bhopal).

In the last few years, these organizations have helped organize a campaign tour across four countries in l989, the Permanent Peoples Tribunal's Session on Industrial Hazards in Bhopal in 1992 and the visit to Bhopal of 14 medical specialists from 11 different countries as the International Medical Commission on Bhopal in January 1994, in addition to providing continuing support to the organizations in Bhopal.

Legal interventions in the civil and criminal cases against Union Carbide and writ petitions against the government have been part of the struggle of the survivors and their sympathizers. Much needed monetary assistance from the government was made available to the survivors through a petition filed by the BGPMUS in August, 1988. The Supreme Court's reconsideration and subsequent modification of the infamous settlement order was prompted by petitions filed by survivors and solidarity organizations. Petitions seeking relief and rehabilitation, adequate and timely compensation payments and injunction on the sale of UCC's shares is still pending before the Supreme Court. Three organizations have intervened in the criminal case calling for extradition of Anderson and other accused, proper investigation in the case and presentation of vital evidence. Senior public interest lawyers have been arguing the survivors cases contributing their skills, resources and time without charging any fees.

Through their legal and extra-legal interventions, survivor-organisations have gained significant victories in the struggle for justice and a better deal. Most government relief and rehabilitative measures, withdrawal of criminal immunity for Carbide and its officials, and some measure of control over resource allocation have become possible through the efforts of these survivors organizations. Above all, they have constantly drawn public attention to their suffering and their struggle through meetings, marches, slogans and songs, and kept Bhopal alive.