Debate on gas tragedy

A LABOUR Party MP secured a debate in Westminster Hall to call for justice for victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy ahead of the 38th anniversary next month.

Navendu Mishra, who represents Stockport and is chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for India (Trade and Investment), called on the UK government to demand action in Britain from Dow Chemical – the owners of Union Carbide, the American corporation involved with the gas leak disaster in December 1984.

During the parliamentary debate last Tuesday (15), he sought Britain’s contribution to the campaign for justice in India and for UK government pressure on Dow to face justice in the Indian courts. “The Dow Chemical Company, which is the parent company of Union Carbide, has for too long evaded its responsibility to the victims,” said Mishra.

The Bhopal gas tragedy occurred on December 2-3, 1984, when over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate following a leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Madhya Pradesh in central India.