Bhopal Occupies Boston

27 YEARS AFTER THE CHEMICAL DISASTER in Bhopal India killed thousands, a group of dedicated activists in Boston is making sure the fight for survivor's rights is not forgotten.

On Saturday, the disaster's 27th anniversary, members of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) organized a series of events titled "Bhopal Occupies Boston". Around noon, more than 40 people gathered at Dewey Square for a teach-in about the Bhopal disaster. Addressing a gathering of supporters and curious onlookers, activist Saif Pathan drew parallels between the toxic contamination in Bhopal to increasing levels of toxins in cities around the world. The message to take home - "we all live in Bhopal". Activists criticized Dow Corporation, which they say is avoiding responsibility for clean-up of the site and for compensation for victims. Instead, they say, Dow is greenwashing it's image by sponsoring the London 2012 "sustainable" Olympics.

On the night of December 3, 1984, tons of toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal when water entered a tank and caused a deadly chemical reaction. The state government at the time reported that about 3,800 people were killed immediately and thousands more affected. Activists say that 23,000 have people have died to date and some 500,000 injured. Today, ground water contamination from the still uncleaned site pervades the area, and has been linked to an increase in birth defects among children of survivors.

After the teach-in, the group of activists marched from Dewey Square to Copley Square where another large demonstration affiliated with the Occupy Movement was taking place. Activists stood behind the main speaking stage for almost two hours holding a large banner featuring Bhopal and Occupy Boston, while others circulated among the crowd handing out flyers, and talking to people about the struggle for survivor's rights. "People here were pleasantly surprised and very supportive to see that we are still fighting after 27 years. Most of the older people had heard of Bhopal, but many young people were hearing about the world's worst industrial disaster for the first time!" said Pooja Parmeswaran, a medical researcher living in Cambridge, and Bhopal activist.

Activists take Bhopalâ€™s message to the streets at a â€œCommunity Speak-Outâ€ event at Copley Square

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, the dayâ€™s actions were less peaceful. As thousands of activists attempted to stage a â€˜rail rokoâ€™ or train stoppage to demand that the government publicly acknowledge the real death figures, police baton-charged and tear-gassed protestors leading to instances of stone-pelting and property damage. 60 people were reportedly injured in the violence including a 17 year-old who was allegedly shot by the police.

In Boston, the day culminated at MIT with a screening of the movie "Bhopali" which focused on the health effects of contaminated water on second generation survivors. Screened to a packed audience of about 70 people, the intense movie was followed a Q & A session with a survivor and activist from Bhopal, Sanjay Verma. Mr. Verma thanked the audience for coming out in support of the Bhopal cause, and said that the international support for the cause was increasing every year. He called on the audience members to sign a petition to ask the Olympic committee to drop Dow's contract to build a wrap around the stadium, and reject it's sponsorship. If you wish to sign the petition, please go to:

http://www.change.org/petitions/drop-dow-chemical-as-partners-for-the-london-2012-olympic-games-bhopal

Sanjay Verma, survivor of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and outspoken activist interacts with audience members at MIT

Just before the anniversary, noted academic and political activist at MIT, Noam Chomsky, also spoke out in support of the Bhopal cause. "The people of Bhopal have struggled to enforce accountability for one of the worst corporate crimes in history, and to gain some compensation for their suffering. They have every right to expect us to join them in their courageous efforts", he said.