Bhopal Gas Survivors Shut Down the Old City of Bhopal (Bandh) and ask the govt to provide correct figures on death and injury in the upcoming petition on additional compensation | International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal

October 11, 2011

Press Statement

The five survivors’ organizations who had given the call for today’s bandh (city wide shut down) congratulated the over half million survivors of the disaster for its success. They thanked the workers unions, traders associations and other survivors’ organizations as well political parties for their active support in organizing the city wide strike.

The organizations are demanding that the central and state governments present correct figures of death and the actual extent of injury caused by the disaster in the soon to be heard curative petition in the Supreme Court of India. Through the petition the governments are seeking compensation from Union Carbide, USA and its current owner Dow Chemical, USA.

On the basis of Union Carbide’s internal documents and findings of the decadal epidemiological research by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the survivors’ organizations are calling for a significant revision in the government’s assessment that 93% of those exposed to Union Carbide’s toxic gases suffered only temporary injury.

As part of the bandh all shops (other than medicine stores), restaurants, workshops and other establishment were closed in the city and the main roads had no auto rickshaws or buses plying. The five survivors organizations said that they now plan to hold other protest actions on the same issue with voluntary and peaceful mass participation.

A rally was taken out by the organizers of the bandh from Peer Gate through the main commercial areas that was led by the survivors organizations and leaders of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nyaya Morcha and Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti as well representatives of Bhopal Transport Hammal Mazdoor Union and the Communist Party of India and Communist Party Marxist.