On the 15th day of their 37- day campaign, the survivors of Union Carbide Disaster sought answers from the Madhya Pradesh government, as to why the Madhya Pradesh Government presented two different figures of death – 5295 and 15242 caused by the disaster to the Supreme Court.
In the Criminal Curative Petition (No.39-42/2010) filed before the Supreme Court of India the Govt of Madhya Pradesh has stated that as per the survey carried out by the Dept of Gas Relief & rehabilitation 15248 people died as a result of the gas leak. Similarly in the Civil Curative Petition (No. 345-347/2010) filed before the Supreme Court of India for additional compensation from Union Carbide and Dow Chemical the Govt of MP has stated that only 5295 have died as a result of the
disaster.
“We want to know if the MP government official documents states that 15242 have died as a result of the disaster then why is it deliberately misleading the Supreme Court on the matter of deaths caused due to exposure to methyl isocyanate gas in December 1984”, said Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari
Sangh.
In the 2008 action plan prepared by the MP government for rehabilitation of gas victims it also states that more than 16000 people have died as a result of the disaster, so why is that in its curative petition for compensation it only seeks damages for only 5295 deaths. “What is the point of filling a curative petition if the government of Madhya Pradesh will not cure its errors of presenting the official figures of death and extent of injury in the Supreme Court, said Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information &
Action.