From December 1st to 3rd, 2004, in three separate events at Georgia State University (GSU), Emory University, and Georgia Institute of Technology, over 200 local community members and students in the metro-Atlanta area came together to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster in India and ask for corporate accountability and global justice. They were a part of the Global Day of Action, observed by thousands of people on five continents, including actions by students from more than 60 colleges, universities, and high schools. 

The events titled, “Bhopal & Search for Global Justice: 20 Years in the Making” included the screening of two new documentaries, Twenty Years without Justice and Bhopal: The Search for Justice co-produced by Harold Brooks (The Corporation). A candlelight vigil was also held at the Library Plaza at GSU on December 1st with music by Michael Goldman, guitarist of a local band, The Indicators. A GSU student from Bhopal spoke about his memory as a child, of what many Bhopalis refer to “that night” of December 2-3 in 1984, as well as the aftermath of “that night.”

The evening on the 2nd at Emory started with a haunting alap and jod on Violin in an evening rag, “Puriya Dhaneshri” by Amitava Sen, followed by “Bhopal: In (their own) words”, an original performance art work by Kaya Collective which included testimonials and photographs from Bhopal and live music by Hana Stepanek and Raktim Sen. After the documentary screenings, the attendees stayed late overwhelmed by the realities of Bhopal and lack of responsibility and accountability by Union Carbide, its new owner, Dow Chemical, and the Indian government.

“Just imagine if the 20,000 dead and the 150,000 sick and suffering 20 years later were Americans! Could Dow continue to deny their responsibility for cleaning up the toxic mess that Union Carbide has left which continues to make more people sick and contaminate their grounds and water supply?” charged Taka Ono of Greens of GSU during one of the Q&A sessions. 

Alka Roy of Association of India’s Development’s (A.I.D.) chapter in Atlanta continued, “the Indian Government is not without fault in how they have handled this but Union Carbide and now Dow Chemical have been anything but forthcoming in accepting their full criminal and civil liabilities in a disaster they have caused, which has changed the lives and face of Bhopal forever.” 

Discussions also veered to the larger context of global justice. “As more and more companies continue to operate globally, it is important that accountability is demanded of them and they are not allowed to devastate local environments and communities. As Bhopalis have said, we don’t want another Bhopal,” Roy commented. 

Screening of the feature film, Bhopal Express on Friday, Dec 3rd was the final event. Those who attended stood in lines after the movie to sign petitions calling upon Dow Chemical and the Indian government to cleanup the contamination and provide clean water to thousands of Bhopalis who are forced to drink water with lead and mercury. They also signed a colorful cloth art by Nalini Persaud which will be sent to Bhopal as a symbol of Atlanta’s solidarity with their struggle. 

“Keep Fighting,” one attendee wrote. “We are with you. Your passion and dedication inspires us all. Unity in Justice for all people.” These were just few of the messages that the attendees signed, moved by devastation in Bhopal and inspired by the relentless efforts for justice and perseverance by the survivors of Bhopal, including Champa Devi Shukla, co-winner of the prestigious 2004 Goldman Environmental Prize, who visited Atlanta in May, 2003.

A book released on December 1, 2004, Trespass Against Us: Dow Chemical & the Toxic Century by investigative writer Jack Doyle will be donated to the GSU, Emory and Georgia Tech libraries as part of the events. The book chronicles Dow’s problematic relationships with its employees and communities in the United States and other parts of the world, including Bhopal.

December 3rd, 2004, marked twenty years since the people of Bhopal, India, woke up to tons of poisonous gas leaking from a Union Carbide pesticide plant. Several thousand people died within days. It is estimated that over 20,000 people have died in the last two decades and more than 150,000 people have been left severely disabled. The catastrophe is now widely acknowledged as the world’s worst-ever industrial disaster. 

Today, those who survived the gas twenty years ago remain sick, and the chemicals that Union Carbide left behind in Bhopal have poisoned the water supply and contributed to an epidemic of cancers, birth defects, and other afflictions. Since its purchase of Carbide in 2001, Dow-Carbide has refused to clean up the site, which continues to contaminate those near it; has refused to fund medical care or livelihood regeneration; and has refused to stand trial in Bhopal, where the Union Carbide Corporation faces criminal charges of culpable homicide.

Nineteen community and student organizations in Atlanta, spearheaded by Association for India’s Development (A.I.D.), Atlanta (www.aidindia.org/atlanta) answered the call by International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (www.bhopal.net) inspired by survivors in Bhopal for a Global Day of Action including Greens of GSU, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, Amnesty International, Asian Studies at Emory University[.], Bengali Association of Greater Atlanta (BAGA), Emory Global Health Organization (EGHO), Indian Classical Music Society of Greater Atlanta (ICMS), Indian Student Association (GSU), International Association for Health & Human Rights (Emory), Khabar, Kaya Collective, Power of Women (GSU), Pujari, Atlanta, Raksha, Rollins Environmental Health Action Committee (Emory), Student Labor Action Project (GSU), Students for Peace & Justice (GSU) and Women's Action for New Directions (WAND).