Post 119k support signatures to US petition, Bhopal survivors ask Modi for harsher measures on Dow

Senior Correspondent

NewsBits.in

Bhopal: With over 1.19 lakh support signatures gathered on the petition to Whitehouse in United States, the Bhopal gas tragedy supporters have forcefully reiterated their demand that US authorities serve notice of Bhopal district court upon Dow Chemical so that it appears in the Bhopal tragedy criminal case on July 13.

Meanwhile as a backup, five organizations representing the survivors have sent a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking directions to the prosecution agency - Central Bureau of Investigation to call for harsher measures against Dow Chemical if it fails to appear on July 13. 

The leaders of the organizations said "One month is not yet over and we have collected more than 119 thousand signatures on our petition. As per the terms of the Whitehouse website, the US government is obliged to respond to our petition within the next 30 days."

The five survivors’ organizations and their international supporters have circulated an online petition that demands that the US authorities serve the Bhopal court’s notice upon Dow Chemical.

Big names support the cause

Big names have supported the cause, the leaders said during a press conference on Tuesday, expressing their gratitude for the international support to the petition. Among the supporters are Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, MIT professor Noam Chomsky, Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, Association for India's Development, USA, The Logical Indian, Chennai rapper Sofie Ashraf, US trade union AFL - CIO, Greenpeace,USA, Amnesty, Story of Stuff network and students from different US universities.

"Now we have written to the Prime Minister to take the next step and we are hopeful that he will take note of this historic challenge by the Bhopal survivors and their international supporters and instruct the CBI to seek non-bailable warrant against Dow Chemical if it fails to appear in court on July 13," they further said,

Hope for better compensation for victims

Once Dow Chemical appears in court it will have to present Union Carbide to face trial. A successful trial can very well lead to Union Carbide having to pay heavy criminal fines in keeping with its grave criminal acts and its terrible consequences. Hopefully the fines will be large enough to supplement the meagre compensation victims have received so far, Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group of Information and Action said.

US government’s support to Union Carbide and its criminal practices dates back to 1975 when the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger facilitated EXIM bank loans for the pesticide plant in Bhopal. This is the first time that the hypocritical and unethical stand of the US government has been successfully challenged, the organizations have said.

Others present at press conference were Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh, Balkrishna Namdeo, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, Nawab Khan of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha thanked and Safreen Khan of Children Against Dow Carbide.