Bhopal Gas Tragedy: A Timeline

Amnesty International has called for urgent steps to provide adequate compensation to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and bring the Union Carbide and Dow Chemical to book

CLOSURE AWAITED

Dec 2-3, 1984: Toxic methyl isocyanate gas released from Union Carbide India Ltd’s (UCIL) pesticide plant; thousands killed and at least 500,000 injured, millions go ill; harmful effects are passed to generations by the affected people

Dec 4: Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson, among the nine arrested, is released on bail of $2,000 and a promise of return; company named 10th accused in a criminal charge of culpable homicide

Feb 1985: Indian govt sues Union Carbide in a US court for $3.3 bn

Dec 1987: CBI chargesheets Anderson and others; summons served on Anderson and Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) on charges of culpable homicide

Feb 1989: Chief judicial magistrate of Bhopal issues non-bailable arrest warrant against Anderson for ignoring summons; India and Union Carbide strike out-of-court deal; a compensation of $470 mn is given

Feb-Mar: Protests against unjust settlement begin

1992: Part of the $470 mn distributed among the Bhopal gas victims

Feb 1992: Anderson declared a fugitive for ignoring summons

Nov 1994: Supreme Court allows Union Carbide to sell stake in UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd

Sep 1996: SC dilutes charges against Indian officials of UCIL, a subsidiary of and majority owned by UCC — partly on grounds that culpability lay with UCC

Aug 1999: Union Carbide announces merger with US-based Dow Chemicals

Nov 1999: Greenpeace tests soil, groundwater and wells in and around derelict Union Carbide factory and finds high quantity of 12 volatile organic chemicals and mercury; several victims and survivors’ organisations file an action suit against Union Carbide and Anderson in US court for violating international laws

Feb 2001: Union Carbide refuses to take responsibility for UCIL’s liabilities in India

Jan 2002: Study by a citizen organisation finds lead and mercury in breast milk of nursing mothers in communities near the plant

Jun 2002: Survivors protest in New Delhi after reports that India is to drop charges against Anderson

Aug 2002: Charges of culpable homicide maintained against Anderson; court demands his extradition; US authorities say unable to locate him

May 2003: India asks US for Anderson’s extradition 

Mar 2004: US court says it could order Dow Chemicals to clean soil and groundwater around the factory site if India gives a no-objection certificate; certificate is given

Jun 2004: US rejects India’s extradition request, as it does not “meet requirements of certain provisions” of the bilateral extradition treaty

Jul 2004: Supreme Court orders RBI to pay out more than ~1,500 cr, part of the $470 mn received as compensation and kept in an account since 1992

Oct 2004: Victims’ protest government’s failure to pay compensation; SC sets a Nov 15 deadline for payment of remaining of the $470-mn compensation

Jun 2010: All eight accused, including the then chairman of Union Carbide, Keshub Mahindra, convicted by a court but let off with minor punishment

Aug 2010: CBI files curative petition in SC to recall the order issued by it in Sep 1996 (SC had diluted charges against Union Carbide’s Indian officials)

May 2011: SC dismisses CBI’s curative petition for harsher charges against the Indian officials of UCIL 

Source: Agencies