Karan114 Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 India convicts eight for Bhopal gas disaster By Sonma Luxmi (AFP) BHOPAL, India — An Indian court on Monday found eight people guilty over the 1984 Bhopal gas leak, including the then-head of the company blamed for poisoning tens of thousands of people. A lethal plume of gas escaped from a storage tank at the US-run Union Carbide pesticide factory in the early hours of December 3, 1984, killing thousands instantly in the world's worst industrial catastrophe. Among those found guilty in the local state court was the chairman of the Indian unit of US group Union Carbide, Keshub Mahindra. All eight were to be sentenced at a later date. They were originally charged with culpable homicide but -- to the outrage of survivors and victims -- the Supreme Court in 1996 reduced the charges to death by negligence with maximum imprisonment of just two years. "Even with the guilty judgement, what does two years punishment mean?" Sadhna Karnik, of the Bhopal Gas Victims Struggle group, told AFP. "They will be able to appeal against the judgment in higher courts," he said. Government figures put the death toll at 3,500 within the first three days but independent data by the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) puts the figure at between 8,000 and 10,000 for the same period. The ICMR has said that until 1994 25,000 people also died from the consequences of gas exposure. Government statistics compiled after 1994 concluded that at least 100,000 people living near the factory in central Madhya Pradesh state were chronically sick, with more than 30,000 residing in areas with contaminated water. Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide in 1999 but says all liabilities related to the accident were cleared in a 470-million-dollar out-of-court settlement with the Indian government in 1989. A statement released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the disaster said the settlement "resolved all existing and future claims" against the company. Union Carbide "did all it could to help the victims and their families" until the settlement and said the Indian government should be responsible for providing clean drinking water and health services to residents, it said. The company said at the time and continues to insist that sabotage was behind the leak, but the victims have long fought for it to provide further compensation. "Justice will be done in Bhopal only if individuals and corporations responsible are punished in an exemplary manner," Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Women's Workers group, said. Studies released last year showed the shanty towns surrounding the site were still laced with lethal chemicals that are polluting groundwater and soil, causing birth defects and a range of chronic illnesses. The state government of Madhya Pradesh, of which Bhopal is the capital, has only partially cleared the area of hundreds of tonnes of toxic material. Thousands more tonnes lie just yards from the plant in man-made "solar evaporation ponds" where Union Carbide was dumping waste for years before the accident. State authorities say the material is not harmful and, to prove this, said they planned to open the site to visitors. Officials later reversed that decision. Most of the settlement money was used to pay compensation of 1,000-2,000 dollars to victims who were left unable to work or with long-term ailments, but many received nothing. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement marking the 25th anniversary describing Bhopal as a tragedy that "still gnaws at our collective conscience" and vowed continued efforts to tackle the issues of drinking water and site decontamination. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j2dF0b8DtsKtBQBiUC1yQeK4ASbQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sachinism Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 :hitler: was just about to post 25 years, god damn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastana Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 It took 25 years. Andha kanoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamy Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 1984 :whatchutalkingabout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastana Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 1984 :whatchutalkingabout :(( :(( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnterTheVoid Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 So, who were the 8 convicted ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SachDan Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 So' date=' who were the 8 convicted ?[/quote'] It includes Keshub Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra (then Chairman of UCIL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roshanrocks Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 are all the 8 accused alive? :ohmy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubinpepsi Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 26 unfkinbelievable years.. .. shame on you India.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SachDan Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 26 unfkinbelievable years.. .. shame on you India.. And what punishment they were handed out? just two years in jail and a fine of less than two lakh each :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asterix Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 1 is already deceased. The remaining 7 got bail today.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sachinism Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 And what punishment they were handed out? just two years in jail and a fine of less than two lakh each :( Kinda reminds me of this (the one on the right) I guess Indian Judicial system is the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SachDan Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 1 is already deceased. The remaining 7 got bail today.. Released on Rs.25000 surety..wooh! there's no justice :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achilles Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 ... and lets them go. No wonder Arnab was pissed off tonight. I don't remember when was the last time he was this annoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomainK Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Justice delayed is not too far from justice denied. I still remember some popular movie star (cant remember who) once saw an accident and volunteered to be a witness in the case. Twenty years later the police asked him to pick up the culprit in a line up in the court. Naturally, he could not and the court dismissed the case. He vouched never to volunteer to help the law again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SachDan Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 ... and lets them go. No wonder Arnab was pissed off tonight. I don't remember when was the last time he was this annoyed. day before yesterday when he wasn't getting any concrete evidence to attack Pawar. a month ago when a stubborn Modi was not tilting under pressure.. Arnab's like that wonly. Haven't seen any anchor interrupt the guests as Arnab does. Admire the effort he puts to bring out the truth of the story but hardly succeeds in that one hour show. Err..it's always one hour ten minutes for Arnab :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achilles Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 day before yesterday when he wasn't getting any concrete evidence to attack Pawar. a month ago when a stubborn Modi was not tilting under pressure.. Arnab's like that wonly. Haven't seen any anchor interrupt the guests as Arnab does. Admire the effort he puts to bring out the truth of the story but hardly succeeds in that one hour show. Err..it's always one hour ten minutes for Arnab :) He's a Bong and therefore, typically very passionate. He gives the show his everything. Eg: Its like an inciteful politician instigating people with an angry, emotional appeal. Haven't seen any anchor interrupt the guests as Arnab does. Karan Thappar. I like both these guys (Arban & Karan) sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 day before yesterday when he wasn't getting any concrete evidence to attack Pawar. a month ago when a stubborn Modi was not tilting under pressure.. Arnab's like that wonly. Haven't seen any anchor interrupt the guests as Arnab does. Admire the effort he puts to bring out the truth of the story but hardly succeeds in that one hour show. Err..it's always one hour ten minutes for Arnab :) wtf he is one big c***t.He and rajdeep sardesai are worst of the lot. His channel TIMES NOW is the indian version of fox news, keep on forcing their views on what is right onto the viewers. btw the ruling was on expected lines.ridiculous as it may seem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achilles Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 ^ We can control the remote. And we should not get swayed by an individual's opinions. And Times Now is waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than Fox, from what I hear abt Fox regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 nah..they both are in the same league . I have watched enough of both channels .Its not a matter of getting swayed .Its matter of bullshit that goes on in the channel in the name of news reporting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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