On Dec 2, 1984 there was a Methyl Isocyanate gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal … and 4000 people died. Another 15000 to 20000 people died in the long term. More than 500,000 people suffered the after effects of the toxic gas. A Netflix mini series The Railway Men tries to shine some light on the heroes that night.
Bhopal Gas Leak – Preventable Disaster
As shown in the mini series, the Bhopal gas leak was totally preventable. Safety norms were flouted, required training was not given and there was scant regard for the workers. Typical American disdain for a third world country ?
For all the furore over child labor and terrible working conditions in the Chinese factories, the American companies did not stop manufacturing in China. All because it was dirt cheap and added dollars to their bottom line. The same seems to have been done in the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal.
“The series laid bare the harrowing conditions at Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) and its systemic failures that culminated in the catastrophic gas leak. Malfunctioning safety systems, deteriorating valves, and neglected equipment related to highly toxic methyl isocyanate exposed a dangerous cocktail waiting to erupt.The narrative underlined the negligence of the plant management, compounded by the local government’s reluctance to address safety concerns, contributing to the preventable tragedy.“
The above excerpt is from this detailed article – Bhopal Gas Tragedy at 39: From chaos to injustice to lingering shadows.
Too Little Too Late
A compensation of USD 470 million was finally received in 1989 … a full 5 years after the disaster and obviously it was too little too late. The then Govt of India led by Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, did even lesser to help the victims :(. Being a totally inept politician he just let go of Mr. Anderson, the Union Carbide Chief …
Warren Anderson, the CEO of Union Carbide was arrested in Bhopal within four days of the disaster occurring. But he was released on Dec 7 !!!!! and taken out of the country in a private aircraft never to return to India and stand trial for what his company did. Not just Anderson, but Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister should be tried for mass murder and criminal negligence at least for the sake of closure for the victims and their surviving family members :(:(.
Do read – Bhopal Gas Tragedy – The culprits that got away.
Incase the link breaks or is taken off, here’s the pdf copy –
The Railway Men
The Railway Men is very well made and does shine the light where no one wants to look … It’s a surprise that it comes from Yash Raj Films who usually make nice Mills & Boons kind of love stories set in Switzerland. All fluff and no substance. But they did stay true to their character – the original names of the heroes were changed !!
Ghulam Dastagir was the deputy station master at Bhopal, a genuine hero who saved many lives that day. He has been renamed as Iftekar Siddiqui and promoted to Station Master.
A useless character in the form of a thief has been introduced, a total fluff element typical of YRF. Then the anti-sikh riots being brought into the plot… why ? To soft pedal the disaster or just confuse the audience. The gas leak was a big enough disaster, and the anti-sikh riots were equally a big enough disaster. Why bring the two together ?
Again the character named Imad who goes from a worker at the Union Carbide factory to loco pilot as easily as one changes shirts. It clearly shows how inadequate the training was in the factory and the railways. Very scary for those times. Also the YRF fluff factory in overdrive.
The character called Kumawat, the local journalist is actually Rajkumar Keswani. Why change his name ? He is truly a hero for identifying the dangers at Union Carbide and then writing about it.
Bashirullah got renamed as Kamruddin, why ? At least after 39 years let the heroes be remembered by their original names !
The Railway Men is immensely watchable, with Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Juhi Chawla and every other actor playing their role exceptionally well. But even as you watch the series, please do read up on the actual disaster. That’s the least we can do to remember those who lost their lives and those who lived in pain, disfigurement and dealing with the after effects of the toxic gas :(.
Didn’t Mother Theresa ask the people to “forgive” the perpetrators as there have been worse things beyond this “accident”??
She might have Deepa … I can’t get past the image of Anderson being escorted to a private plane even as people were dying :(:( How spineless our response was ! And I just read an article on Dharma Dispatch about Arjun Singh being the central character in the Ram Janma Bhooma case not moving forward – the same guy was the CM during the gas tragedy. Some individuals have been so damaging to India’s way of life. 🤬