Bhopal Gas Tragedy: That black night, which took the lives of thousands of people, the wounds have not healed even after 40 years

New Delhi: That dark night of 2-3 December 1984… when a very painful accident happened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. This night filled the lives of thousands of people of Bhopal with darkness. This day became one of the most painful industrial tragedies in human history. The poisonous gas emanating from the factory of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) engulfed the entire city in the grip of death and destruction. 5,474 people were killed and more than five lakh people were affected in this accident. Today this accident is completing 40 years. But the entire country including Bhopal has not been able to forget this dark night even today.

How did the gas leak happen?

This factory of Union Carbide used a chemical called methyl isocyanate (MIC) to produce pesticides. Due to neglect of safety standards and negligence in maintenance, a large amount of MIC gas leaked from the tank. This poisonous gas spread through the air to nearby densely populated areas. This gas was highly poisonous, and people exposed to it began experiencing difficulty breathing, burns, blindness, and lung problems. Due to this, people became victims of it without any warning.

People couldn’t understand what happened

A former scientist working in the factory told that on December 3, 1984, the day had started normally for the common people. The city residents were not even aware of the gas leak tragedy. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he/she said that day he/she left his/her home in Arera Colony around eight in the morning and hoped to catch his/her bus to reach the Union Carbide factory. However, as the minutes passed and the morning passed, When the bus did not arrive till 8:30, his/her restlessness started increasing.

Rumors of fire were spreading throughout the city

he/she said that due to lack of internet, mobile phones or social media at that time, people used landline phones, telegrams, radio bulletins, newspapers, paan and tea shops for information about the happenings in their city and country. Were dependent. The scientist told news agency Bhasha, ‘While we were waiting for the bus, a passerby told us in panic that the gas had leaked, due to which many people had died. I heard about the gas tragedy at the paan shop. Rumors were spreading like wildfire, and we couldn’t understand anything.

Pile of dead bodies in hospital

he/she said, ‘I and others decided to go to the factory in an auto-rickshaw. We saw people running here and there on the way to the office at the top of Shyamala Hills. At the Union Carbide factory, we saw police deployment at the gate. The police did not allow us to go inside. The scientist said he/she heard that gas had leaked from the factory and bodies were piled up at the government Hamidia Hospital. The scientist told that that day the factory asked the employees to go home. Also, in view of the anger of the people, the employees were also asked to remove their name plates.

The entire area was engulfed in smoke

Gopal Jain, a senior journalist, said that no one knew what really happened and rumors were flying fast. he/she said, ‘Around 2:30 in the night, a female relative came to my house in the teen shed area with red and swollen eyes. he/she told us that dacoits had attacked the old Bhopal area by burning red chillies in large numbers. he/she said the entire area was engulfed in smoke. Jain immediately came out of his/her house and saw that many people were running from the old Bhopal area towards the new Bhopal.

Jain recalled, ‘When I went to Hamidia Hospital on the morning of December 3, the matter became clear. There was an atmosphere of chaos there. There were many dead bodies lying in the hospital. he/she told that he/she came to know about the gas leak tragedy in the hospital. Many of the victims are still struggling with the effects of the gas. Due to the accident, people suffered respiratory diseases, eye irritation and other serious health problems.

(With inputs from news agencies)