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I know many of you have a connection with India and its peoples. This is the moment that ten minutes of your time can make a real difference.
Please use the free calling card number provided below and let the authorities know you care and that you are one more pillar for the rights of our fellow brothers and sisters around the world. The authorities will insist that everything is being done to assist those in need, that whatever critical news there is must be "misinformation" and that the local people are content. Of course, this is just propaganda. Rather than debate facts, tell them you are concerned and that you expect them to act with integrity and compassion to those in need in the Bhopal area. Tell them that you will be watching the matter unfold and will hold them personally responsible for any injustice committed at the hands of the authorities. Thank them for speaking with you, for hearing your concerns, and for doing everything they can to insure that justice prevails.
The following is from The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal www.bhopal.net and The Association for India's Development www.aidindia.org
This is the India that is not in the guidebooks:
Dear Friends,
The last few days have been critical ones for the Bhopal campaign. Many of you know about the Dow Chemical plant's Bhopal disaster already (if not, it's summarized at the bottom of this page). The survival of tens of thousands of Carbide's gas and water-contamination victims are at stake (more background at www.studentsforbhopal.org/Right....htm). Rather than follow through on their promises and grant our demands (including access to poison-free drinking water & competent medical care) the State Government of Madhya Pradesh has instead violently arrested the hunger strikers on their thirteenth day of fasting in an attempt to break our campaign. It won't succeed. Hundreds of angry phone calls from compassionate supporters around the world have deluged the government at every level in the past 24 hours, and massive mobilizations are taking place on the ground in Bhopal. Although the situation is still in flux, I wanted to send you all the latest news and thank you for the actions you've already taken, which continue to put the state government under greater pressure than they've ever faced from our campaign before.
The Status
Pragya writes from Bhopal: The five hunger strikers are currently sitting on the cold stone floor on the third story of Hamidia Hospital. They are surrounded by the Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, and other police personnel that have taken over the whole floor. Imagine, being taken to a hospital by force at seven in the morning, and after thirteen days of fasting, not even getting a bench to sit on. The Collector, who gave the orders for the arrest in the first place, now permitted a few people to meet the hunger strikers. When these four people went to the hospital, the police told them they could not meet the fasters. Must be a "communication gap."
What can we do at this crucial time? Call, call,call! The police have to know that they are not going to get away with what they did, and we are the ones who have to tell them that- again and again until they start ripping their hair out of its follicles. A few hours ago, an email urging people to call the hospital was sent out, so that supporters, media, and lawyers could meet the fasters. YOUR CALLS WORKED! The hunger strikers' lawyer is on his way to meet them this very moment. Continue pouring on the pressure - it is highly effective. Please continue to let us know. The Bhopalis are ever grateful for the support you all are providing.
One of the original six hunger strikers is still at large and in hiding. Meanwhile other survivors have converged on the Tinshed and are themselves taking up the hunger strike, in case the government decides to force-feed the original hunger strikers. This is something that the government has been afraid to attempt thus far (probably because of your outraged phone calls) but are likely to try.
Shalini writes from Bhopal: The sense that we are getting here is that these calls are working amazingly well. the collector just tried (amidst all your calls..) to lure survivors to break the fast by promising to arrange a meeting with CM tomorrow. Of course the hunger strikers didn't agree with this. they told the collector clearly, "we would break the fast only when we meet the CM and depending upon the result of the meeting" the Collector walked out of the hospital all red and fuming!!!
Our friends in the hospital know that you are making the calls for them and it is this support that is giving them more strength to continue to be as determined as ever. so friends, please continue calling, these calls are making a huge difference in those closed walls which we call 'control room'
Take Action
Demand the immediate and unconditional release of the Bhopalis.
1. Call as many of the following numbers as you can. If you don’t have an international calling card, you can use ours: dial 1-800-887-2991, PIN 7087821888, security code 463. Don’t be surprised if you have trouble getting through, or if you’re rudely hung up on. Some of these people are turning off their phones temporarily to avoid your phone calls, and others will treat you rudely in the hopes that you do not call again. This is because your calls are effective, and they’ve already let everyone in the MP government know that the world is watching. Please continue to call as frequently and as often as you can.
Call:
(if calling from the United States, please preface your calls with 011)
Principal Secretary, Mr. Iqbal Singh:
+91 755 2441314
Call The Chief Minister, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
+91 755 2442231 (Home)
+91 755 2441751 (home)
+91 755 2442255
+91 755 2442241
Call M.M. Upadhyay, Secretary, Bhopal Gas Relief
+91 94250 11863
+91 755 2441620
Superintendent of Police, Anant Kumar Singh:
+91 94251 76688
Additional Superintendent of Police, Dr. G.K. Pathak:
+91 94253 02001
Call Saxena, CM's Personal Assistant
+91 755 9425171925
Call MM Upathiya, Minister of Health
+91 755 94250-11863 (mobile)
The Chief Secretary, R.C. Sahini:
+91 755-2441848
+91-755-2441370
+91 755 2441351 (Personal Assistant/home)
+91-9425-151-652 (mobile)
Women's Police Station:
+91 755 2443860
Shyamala Hills Police Station:
+91 755 2661477
The Collector, B.K. Mishra:
+91-94251 85550
Anurag Jain, Personal Secretary of the Chief Minister:
+91-94250-20285
Additional District Magistrate Mr. Ojha:
+91 94250 19501
CSP Dharamvir Singh Yadav:
+91 94253 04000
Sub Divisional Magistrate: HK Sharma:
+91 94250 04767
2. Send a FREE FAX (if you haven’t already) and urge your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same: www.studentsforbhopal.org/FaxAc...n.php.
The Government’s Response
You may be wondering how the government has been responding to our demands. Take access to poison-free water, for instance – one of our most critical demands, for obvious reasons. Union Carbide started dumping chemicals in Bhopal in 1973. Cattle were dying from the contaminated water long before the gas disaster ever happened. Yet the MP Government denied that any water contamination existed until 2004. (In fact, the Gas Minister even tried to “prove” there was no water contamination by drinking a glass of contaminated water in front of reporters - see www.bhopal.net/oldsite/de...r2002.html. He then induced vomiting out of sight of the cameras).
What happened in 2004? Well, the scientific evidence for contamination had grown overwhelming by that time. So overwhelming, in fact, that the Indian Supreme Court expressly ordered the MP Government to provide a piped, permanent supply of water to the contaminated communities without delay. In response to our “March to Delhi” last year (see www.studentsforbhopal.org/Victo...m#M2D) the central government appropriated Rs. 14 crores to cover all costs associated with the project. A year later (and 3 years after the Supreme Court ruling), the MP Government still refuses to act.
During our dharna and hunger strike in Bhopal, officials from the state government have made daily calls to the prominent newspapers & other media, demanding they cover the hunger strike negatively and threatening them if they do not (we know if this because we have friends in many places). Yet the hunger strike is public for all to see, and a desperate embarrassment for the government. Your calls (at least 500) and faxes (more than 2000) have put the state government under intense pressure – greater pressure than they’ve ever faced from our campaign before. Their decision to arrest the hunger strikers is an act of final desperation – not the kind of thing to do if you’re brimming with confidence.
Our Response
Any attempt to force-feed the fasting Bhopalis is an attempt to silence us by force. It won’t work because the resolve of the hunger strikers remains strong and clear. They will not eat until the government agrees to their demands, and the government can not hold them indefinitely. And a second group of volunteers have already taken up the hunger strike against the government.
Meanwhile mass mobilizations in Bhopal will continue and escalate so long as the government refuses to act. Three days ago 1200 Bhopalis marched on the Chief Minister’s Residence before being stopped by a cordon of police (see www.bhopal.net/blog_act/a...fast_2.html ). 572,000 people are officially registered by the government as victims of Union Carbide. You do the math.
Several national movements have already expressed their solidarity with the Bhopali cause, and have been sitting with the hunger strikers in solidarity. Among others, Narmada activist Medha Patkar visited us on Wednesday, attracting a swarm of media (meanwhile, the Bhopalis themselves have been expressing solidarity for the victims of police brutality in Nandigram: www.bhopal.net/blog_act/a...e_fast.html ). This support will continue to build more pressure against the government, the longer they delay.
The central government has also heard from us. We have strong supporters within the central government (including the Ministry of Chemicals) that are actively working behind the scenes on our behalf. Yet we have yet to hear from the Prime Minister’s office. Pressure continues to build within India and abroad for the PMO to take a stand. On Thursday more than a dozen supporters rallied outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC and a relay hunger strike continues outside the embassy today, while our supporters in Austin have also begun their own relay hunger strike in solidarity.
The national media in India is only beginning to pay attention to this story. NDTV covered the hunger strike on Tuesday and Dominique Lapierre spoke to Times of India on our behalf on Wednesday. While our campaign had been slowly coming to the attention of the media, the MP Government runs the risk of creating a media firestorm if they decide to force-feed the Bhopalis.
Our faxes and phone calls will continue to pummel MP officials so long as they try to hold out and heavy-handed attempts to silence us will only further outrage our supporters across the globe. Legal and other actions are also under consideration.
If the state government thinks that we’re going to let them “get away with it” after 22 years of lies and broken promises, they’re in for the surprise of their lifetimes.
An Apology
If you've read this far, you know that our need for your support is desperate and urgent - we wouldn't be asking for it otherwise. That said, we know that many of you joined our listserve on the condition that the volume of emails remain low. We will continue to update you only when necessary, and ask for your support only when it's desperately urgent. For more regular updates from the ground in Bhopal, please visit the daily campaign blog at www.bhopal.net/blog_act/.
[]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Somu Kumar, somukumar@gmail.com, 1-703-728-8987
Saturday, March 17, 2007 Aquene Freechild, Aquene@gmail.com, 617-378-2579
Police Arrest/Hospitalize Fasting Survivors of Gas Tragedy
during peaceful protests in Bhopal, India
Non Resident Indians Fasting in front of Indian Embassy, Washington, DC
Urge Acceptance of the Demands of the Bhopalis
Five Bhopali hunger strikers – Rashida Bee, Rachna Dhingra, Jabbar Khan, Guddi Bee, and Shehzadi Bee – were forcibly arrested by two truckloads of policemen at 7am today in Bhopal, India. The Bhopal District Collector, Mr. B.K. Mishra, admitted to issuing the orders to remove the hunger strikers and said charges of attempted suicide may be pressed on the strikers. The hunger strikers were on the thirteenth day of an indefinite fast as part of sit-in protests called “Right to Live” which began on 20th February. Rachna Dingra was still sleeping when they grabbed her by her hands and feet and violently removed her. Threats of rape were made against other women protestors by the state police. Reports from Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital indicated that attempts were on to strap the resisting hunger strikers to beds to force feed them.
In Washington DC Non-resident Indians, students and other concerned groups of the Indian diaspora held loud protests outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on Thursday, March 15th. Solidarity fasts by over 10 hunger strikers are being held in front of the embassy for the next two days (17th and 18th March) in support of the survivors in Bhopal. In solidarity with the protesting Bhopalis, concerned citizens across the country are taking part in an indefinite relay fast which will continue as long as the Bhopal survivors stay on their hunger strike.
Professor Mohan Bhagat, at the University of Maryland, says: “As Indians living in the diaspora we hang our heads in shame when asked about an India that claims to be a big player on the world scene, but at the cost of spilling the blood of her own people.” Somu Kumar, on a fast in Washington DC, says, "The fact that six Bhopal survivors are in a hunger-strike for last 13 days for the most basic of all needs - clean-drinking water, is appalling; more worrying is that Madhya Pradesh Government is turning a blind-eye. Arun Gopalan, president of the Maryland chapter of AID, is outraged, “Do we want India to shine with the blood of it own citizens?” he said in reference to recent violence in Nandigram and Bhopal, and the “India Shining” campaign of Indian BJP party – in power in Madhya Pradesh State.
"Force-feeding is an act of violence and a violation of the Bhopalis' human rights," said Ryan Bodanyi, the Coordinator of Students for Bhopal. "The Bhopalis are fasting to save lives. If the government wants the same, they can start by agreeing to the Bhopalis' demands, such as access to poison-free drinking water and competent medical care for Carbide's victims."
Over the last twenty-five days, international supporters of the Bhopal campaign have sent over two thousand faxes to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Over four hundred phone calls have been made to various state government officials. Bhopal survivors in India have called a nationwide agitation towards the Madhya Pradesh government, resolving to not end the strike until their demands are met.
In April of 2006, the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh conceded to survivors’ demands for clean water, environmental rehabilitation, and economic and medical rehabilitation. The Union Ministry of Chemicals said that the state government has not responded to repeated reminders asking for an update on the progress of commitments made by the State in the meetings of the Coordination Committee on Bhopal. The protestors demand proper medical care, clean drinking water, containment of toxic wastes, pension for widows and families with congenitally disabled children, economic rehabilitation, and protection from Union Carbide's poisons that have killed and maimed for 22 years. Current Carbide owner Dow Chemical so far has refused to clean up the site. One of the hunger strikers, Goldman Environmental Prize winner Rashida Bee, lost six family members to cancer and herself has suffered from chronic health problems ever since the disaster.
On December 2, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant. Advocates say Carbide's owner Dow Chemical is to blame for daily deaths in Bhopal, due to its refusal to clean up the disaster site and provide adequate care to the survivors. Over 22,000 people have died in the aftermath of the disaster and over six hundred thousand have been affected.
Union Carbide's internal documents show the company cut corners on safety and maintenance to save money. On the night of the disaster none of the six safety systems at the Union Carbide plant were functional. Following a partial 1989 settlement, Union Carbide fled India, leaving behind unresolved criminal liabilities and several thousand metric tons of hazardous waste, which has poisoned the drinking water for Bhopal residents. Dow Chemical Company claims it has no responsibility for the ongoing deaths. Amnesty International termed Dow's behavior as a fundamental violation of the Bhopalis' human rights. Eighteen members of the US Congress signed a letter to Dow in 2003, calling Dow's behavior a "blatant disregard for the law."
www.bhopal.net
– Photos free for download on this site, please request for higher resolution images.
www.studentsforbhopal.org
--
Ryan Bodanyi
Coordinator, Students for Bhopal
www.studentsforbhopal.org
rbodanyi@studentsforbhopal.org
(401) 829-6192
****************************************************************************
To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics; to appreciate beauty; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--that is to have succeeded.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
****************************************************************************
--
_______________________________________________
Aid-awareness mailing list
Aid-awareness@aidindia.org
lists.aidindia.org/mailman/...awareness
Please use the free calling card number provided below and let the authorities know you care and that you are one more pillar for the rights of our fellow brothers and sisters around the world. The authorities will insist that everything is being done to assist those in need, that whatever critical news there is must be "misinformation" and that the local people are content. Of course, this is just propaganda. Rather than debate facts, tell them you are concerned and that you expect them to act with integrity and compassion to those in need in the Bhopal area. Tell them that you will be watching the matter unfold and will hold them personally responsible for any injustice committed at the hands of the authorities. Thank them for speaking with you, for hearing your concerns, and for doing everything they can to insure that justice prevails.
The following is from The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal www.bhopal.net and The Association for India's Development www.aidindia.org
This is the India that is not in the guidebooks:
Dear Friends,
The last few days have been critical ones for the Bhopal campaign. Many of you know about the Dow Chemical plant's Bhopal disaster already (if not, it's summarized at the bottom of this page). The survival of tens of thousands of Carbide's gas and water-contamination victims are at stake (more background at www.studentsforbhopal.org/Right....htm). Rather than follow through on their promises and grant our demands (including access to poison-free drinking water & competent medical care) the State Government of Madhya Pradesh has instead violently arrested the hunger strikers on their thirteenth day of fasting in an attempt to break our campaign. It won't succeed. Hundreds of angry phone calls from compassionate supporters around the world have deluged the government at every level in the past 24 hours, and massive mobilizations are taking place on the ground in Bhopal. Although the situation is still in flux, I wanted to send you all the latest news and thank you for the actions you've already taken, which continue to put the state government under greater pressure than they've ever faced from our campaign before.
The Status
Pragya writes from Bhopal: The five hunger strikers are currently sitting on the cold stone floor on the third story of Hamidia Hospital. They are surrounded by the Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, and other police personnel that have taken over the whole floor. Imagine, being taken to a hospital by force at seven in the morning, and after thirteen days of fasting, not even getting a bench to sit on. The Collector, who gave the orders for the arrest in the first place, now permitted a few people to meet the hunger strikers. When these four people went to the hospital, the police told them they could not meet the fasters. Must be a "communication gap."
What can we do at this crucial time? Call, call,call! The police have to know that they are not going to get away with what they did, and we are the ones who have to tell them that- again and again until they start ripping their hair out of its follicles. A few hours ago, an email urging people to call the hospital was sent out, so that supporters, media, and lawyers could meet the fasters. YOUR CALLS WORKED! The hunger strikers' lawyer is on his way to meet them this very moment. Continue pouring on the pressure - it is highly effective. Please continue to let us know. The Bhopalis are ever grateful for the support you all are providing.
One of the original six hunger strikers is still at large and in hiding. Meanwhile other survivors have converged on the Tinshed and are themselves taking up the hunger strike, in case the government decides to force-feed the original hunger strikers. This is something that the government has been afraid to attempt thus far (probably because of your outraged phone calls) but are likely to try.
Shalini writes from Bhopal: The sense that we are getting here is that these calls are working amazingly well. the collector just tried (amidst all your calls..) to lure survivors to break the fast by promising to arrange a meeting with CM tomorrow. Of course the hunger strikers didn't agree with this. they told the collector clearly, "we would break the fast only when we meet the CM and depending upon the result of the meeting" the Collector walked out of the hospital all red and fuming!!!
Our friends in the hospital know that you are making the calls for them and it is this support that is giving them more strength to continue to be as determined as ever. so friends, please continue calling, these calls are making a huge difference in those closed walls which we call 'control room'
Take Action
Demand the immediate and unconditional release of the Bhopalis.
1. Call as many of the following numbers as you can. If you don’t have an international calling card, you can use ours: dial 1-800-887-2991, PIN 7087821888, security code 463. Don’t be surprised if you have trouble getting through, or if you’re rudely hung up on. Some of these people are turning off their phones temporarily to avoid your phone calls, and others will treat you rudely in the hopes that you do not call again. This is because your calls are effective, and they’ve already let everyone in the MP government know that the world is watching. Please continue to call as frequently and as often as you can.
Call:
(if calling from the United States, please preface your calls with 011)
Principal Secretary, Mr. Iqbal Singh:
+91 755 2441314
Call The Chief Minister, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
+91 755 2442231 (Home)
+91 755 2441751 (home)
+91 755 2442255
+91 755 2442241
Call M.M. Upadhyay, Secretary, Bhopal Gas Relief
+91 94250 11863
+91 755 2441620
Superintendent of Police, Anant Kumar Singh:
+91 94251 76688
Additional Superintendent of Police, Dr. G.K. Pathak:
+91 94253 02001
Call Saxena, CM's Personal Assistant
+91 755 9425171925
Call MM Upathiya, Minister of Health
+91 755 94250-11863 (mobile)
The Chief Secretary, R.C. Sahini:
+91 755-2441848
+91-755-2441370
+91 755 2441351 (Personal Assistant/home)
+91-9425-151-652 (mobile)
Women's Police Station:
+91 755 2443860
Shyamala Hills Police Station:
+91 755 2661477
The Collector, B.K. Mishra:
+91-94251 85550
Anurag Jain, Personal Secretary of the Chief Minister:
+91-94250-20285
Additional District Magistrate Mr. Ojha:
+91 94250 19501
CSP Dharamvir Singh Yadav:
+91 94253 04000
Sub Divisional Magistrate: HK Sharma:
+91 94250 04767
2. Send a FREE FAX (if you haven’t already) and urge your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same: www.studentsforbhopal.org/FaxAc...n.php.
The Government’s Response
You may be wondering how the government has been responding to our demands. Take access to poison-free water, for instance – one of our most critical demands, for obvious reasons. Union Carbide started dumping chemicals in Bhopal in 1973. Cattle were dying from the contaminated water long before the gas disaster ever happened. Yet the MP Government denied that any water contamination existed until 2004. (In fact, the Gas Minister even tried to “prove” there was no water contamination by drinking a glass of contaminated water in front of reporters - see www.bhopal.net/oldsite/de...r2002.html. He then induced vomiting out of sight of the cameras).
What happened in 2004? Well, the scientific evidence for contamination had grown overwhelming by that time. So overwhelming, in fact, that the Indian Supreme Court expressly ordered the MP Government to provide a piped, permanent supply of water to the contaminated communities without delay. In response to our “March to Delhi” last year (see www.studentsforbhopal.org/Victo...m#M2D) the central government appropriated Rs. 14 crores to cover all costs associated with the project. A year later (and 3 years after the Supreme Court ruling), the MP Government still refuses to act.
During our dharna and hunger strike in Bhopal, officials from the state government have made daily calls to the prominent newspapers & other media, demanding they cover the hunger strike negatively and threatening them if they do not (we know if this because we have friends in many places). Yet the hunger strike is public for all to see, and a desperate embarrassment for the government. Your calls (at least 500) and faxes (more than 2000) have put the state government under intense pressure – greater pressure than they’ve ever faced from our campaign before. Their decision to arrest the hunger strikers is an act of final desperation – not the kind of thing to do if you’re brimming with confidence.
Our Response
Any attempt to force-feed the fasting Bhopalis is an attempt to silence us by force. It won’t work because the resolve of the hunger strikers remains strong and clear. They will not eat until the government agrees to their demands, and the government can not hold them indefinitely. And a second group of volunteers have already taken up the hunger strike against the government.
Meanwhile mass mobilizations in Bhopal will continue and escalate so long as the government refuses to act. Three days ago 1200 Bhopalis marched on the Chief Minister’s Residence before being stopped by a cordon of police (see www.bhopal.net/blog_act/a...fast_2.html ). 572,000 people are officially registered by the government as victims of Union Carbide. You do the math.
Several national movements have already expressed their solidarity with the Bhopali cause, and have been sitting with the hunger strikers in solidarity. Among others, Narmada activist Medha Patkar visited us on Wednesday, attracting a swarm of media (meanwhile, the Bhopalis themselves have been expressing solidarity for the victims of police brutality in Nandigram: www.bhopal.net/blog_act/a...e_fast.html ). This support will continue to build more pressure against the government, the longer they delay.
The central government has also heard from us. We have strong supporters within the central government (including the Ministry of Chemicals) that are actively working behind the scenes on our behalf. Yet we have yet to hear from the Prime Minister’s office. Pressure continues to build within India and abroad for the PMO to take a stand. On Thursday more than a dozen supporters rallied outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC and a relay hunger strike continues outside the embassy today, while our supporters in Austin have also begun their own relay hunger strike in solidarity.
The national media in India is only beginning to pay attention to this story. NDTV covered the hunger strike on Tuesday and Dominique Lapierre spoke to Times of India on our behalf on Wednesday. While our campaign had been slowly coming to the attention of the media, the MP Government runs the risk of creating a media firestorm if they decide to force-feed the Bhopalis.
Our faxes and phone calls will continue to pummel MP officials so long as they try to hold out and heavy-handed attempts to silence us will only further outrage our supporters across the globe. Legal and other actions are also under consideration.
If the state government thinks that we’re going to let them “get away with it” after 22 years of lies and broken promises, they’re in for the surprise of their lifetimes.
An Apology
If you've read this far, you know that our need for your support is desperate and urgent - we wouldn't be asking for it otherwise. That said, we know that many of you joined our listserve on the condition that the volume of emails remain low. We will continue to update you only when necessary, and ask for your support only when it's desperately urgent. For more regular updates from the ground in Bhopal, please visit the daily campaign blog at www.bhopal.net/blog_act/.
[]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Somu Kumar, somukumar@gmail.com, 1-703-728-8987
Saturday, March 17, 2007 Aquene Freechild, Aquene@gmail.com, 617-378-2579
Police Arrest/Hospitalize Fasting Survivors of Gas Tragedy
during peaceful protests in Bhopal, India
Non Resident Indians Fasting in front of Indian Embassy, Washington, DC
Urge Acceptance of the Demands of the Bhopalis
Five Bhopali hunger strikers – Rashida Bee, Rachna Dhingra, Jabbar Khan, Guddi Bee, and Shehzadi Bee – were forcibly arrested by two truckloads of policemen at 7am today in Bhopal, India. The Bhopal District Collector, Mr. B.K. Mishra, admitted to issuing the orders to remove the hunger strikers and said charges of attempted suicide may be pressed on the strikers. The hunger strikers were on the thirteenth day of an indefinite fast as part of sit-in protests called “Right to Live” which began on 20th February. Rachna Dingra was still sleeping when they grabbed her by her hands and feet and violently removed her. Threats of rape were made against other women protestors by the state police. Reports from Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital indicated that attempts were on to strap the resisting hunger strikers to beds to force feed them.
In Washington DC Non-resident Indians, students and other concerned groups of the Indian diaspora held loud protests outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on Thursday, March 15th. Solidarity fasts by over 10 hunger strikers are being held in front of the embassy for the next two days (17th and 18th March) in support of the survivors in Bhopal. In solidarity with the protesting Bhopalis, concerned citizens across the country are taking part in an indefinite relay fast which will continue as long as the Bhopal survivors stay on their hunger strike.
Professor Mohan Bhagat, at the University of Maryland, says: “As Indians living in the diaspora we hang our heads in shame when asked about an India that claims to be a big player on the world scene, but at the cost of spilling the blood of her own people.” Somu Kumar, on a fast in Washington DC, says, "The fact that six Bhopal survivors are in a hunger-strike for last 13 days for the most basic of all needs - clean-drinking water, is appalling; more worrying is that Madhya Pradesh Government is turning a blind-eye. Arun Gopalan, president of the Maryland chapter of AID, is outraged, “Do we want India to shine with the blood of it own citizens?” he said in reference to recent violence in Nandigram and Bhopal, and the “India Shining” campaign of Indian BJP party – in power in Madhya Pradesh State.
"Force-feeding is an act of violence and a violation of the Bhopalis' human rights," said Ryan Bodanyi, the Coordinator of Students for Bhopal. "The Bhopalis are fasting to save lives. If the government wants the same, they can start by agreeing to the Bhopalis' demands, such as access to poison-free drinking water and competent medical care for Carbide's victims."
Over the last twenty-five days, international supporters of the Bhopal campaign have sent over two thousand faxes to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Over four hundred phone calls have been made to various state government officials. Bhopal survivors in India have called a nationwide agitation towards the Madhya Pradesh government, resolving to not end the strike until their demands are met.
In April of 2006, the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh conceded to survivors’ demands for clean water, environmental rehabilitation, and economic and medical rehabilitation. The Union Ministry of Chemicals said that the state government has not responded to repeated reminders asking for an update on the progress of commitments made by the State in the meetings of the Coordination Committee on Bhopal. The protestors demand proper medical care, clean drinking water, containment of toxic wastes, pension for widows and families with congenitally disabled children, economic rehabilitation, and protection from Union Carbide's poisons that have killed and maimed for 22 years. Current Carbide owner Dow Chemical so far has refused to clean up the site. One of the hunger strikers, Goldman Environmental Prize winner Rashida Bee, lost six family members to cancer and herself has suffered from chronic health problems ever since the disaster.
On December 2, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant. Advocates say Carbide's owner Dow Chemical is to blame for daily deaths in Bhopal, due to its refusal to clean up the disaster site and provide adequate care to the survivors. Over 22,000 people have died in the aftermath of the disaster and over six hundred thousand have been affected.
Union Carbide's internal documents show the company cut corners on safety and maintenance to save money. On the night of the disaster none of the six safety systems at the Union Carbide plant were functional. Following a partial 1989 settlement, Union Carbide fled India, leaving behind unresolved criminal liabilities and several thousand metric tons of hazardous waste, which has poisoned the drinking water for Bhopal residents. Dow Chemical Company claims it has no responsibility for the ongoing deaths. Amnesty International termed Dow's behavior as a fundamental violation of the Bhopalis' human rights. Eighteen members of the US Congress signed a letter to Dow in 2003, calling Dow's behavior a "blatant disregard for the law."
www.bhopal.net
– Photos free for download on this site, please request for higher resolution images.
www.studentsforbhopal.org
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Ryan Bodanyi
Coordinator, Students for Bhopal
www.studentsforbhopal.org
rbodanyi@studentsforbhopal.org
(401) 829-6192
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To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics; to appreciate beauty; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--that is to have succeeded.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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