London Games: Gas tragedy survivors protest in Bhopal to keep out Dow

Survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy staged a protest at a park here as part of the international campaign "200 days to drop Dow Chemical as sponsors of the London Olympics."

The protest was held yesterday at the Yaadgar-e-Shah-Jahani Park where victims of the industrial disaster joined those of Dow Chemical in Vietnam, Nicaragua, United States and England to demand that the Organising Committee of the London Games, set to begin from July 27, cancel the sponsorship by Dow Chemicals.

The agitation was organised by five organisations of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster including Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA), Chidlren Against Dow Carbide and Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha.

BGIA's Rachna Dhingra said that through its purchase of Union Carbide in 2001, Dow Chemical has inherited its criminal, civil and environmental liabilities.

Standing with raised fists in the shape of a diamond, resembling the Dows logo, hundreds of victims and children with birth defects held up a sign saying "Don't let Dow contaminate the Olympics" as part of the protests.

Meanwhile the indefinite 'dharna' (sit in) for additional compensation from Dow Chemical by the survivors' organisations continued for the eighth day at the park. They also demanded from the Madhya Pradesh government to present accurate figures of the tragedy in the Supreme Court which is hearing a curative petition on the issue.