Union Carbide India Limited  

The night of December 2nd, 1984, will remain etched in our country’s memory. On that horrific night, deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, claiming over 20,000 lives and leaving lakhs severely disabled. Abdul Jabbar, who was 28 then, lost his mother, father, brother and himself suffered lung fibrosis and lost 50% of his vision. On November 14, 2019, he passed away after fighting for justice for the victims and survivors for close to 3 decades. With the government of India awarding this Bhopal gas tragedy activist the Padma Shri posthumously, let’s take a look at his lesser-known story in this episode of India Untold with Sunita Iyer.

Bhopal: On the night of December 2 and the following day in 1984, people of Bhopal experienced hell as there was a gas leak at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). The gas that leaked at the pesticide plant killed nearly 3,500 people instantly in Bhopal. The death toll is estimated between 15,000 and 20,000. More than 5,00,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate gas. The next generations too are suffering due to the remains of the toxic element that has not been eradicated.

Abhinav Khare deep dives into what transpired during and after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 in which an estimated 10,000 deaths were reported with over 30,000 disabled