Bhopal, Nov 15 (ANI): Extending solidarity with victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, former Olympians lashed out at the organisers of the 2012 London Olympics for selecting Dow Chemicals as the sponsor company. They hold Dow responsible for the 1984 tragedy.
Demanding justice for the victims, former Hockey Olympians signed a petition urging the London Olympics Committee to bar Dow Chemicals from sponsoring the event.
Speaking to mediapersons, former Olympians, B P Govinda underscored the bitter fact that though Dow Chemicals had refused to provide compensation to the victims, it was still able to sponsor funds for a major sporting event like the Olympics.
"So many people were killed in the Bhopal gas tragedy, and so many more are still suffering because of it. This company (Dow Chemicals) has not given any compensation to the victims, nor is it doing anything for their cause. However, it has enough funds to sponsor the London Olympics. Why can't they come here and compensate the people? For that reason, we are here. We have nothing against the Olympic Games. We are against the company that is going to sponsor the Olympics," said Govinda, who represented Indian Hockey Team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.
Echoing similar sentiment, another veteran Olympian, Imam-ur-Rehman, highlighted the plight of the victims, and urged Indians to protest this grave injustice.
"Due to this company, thousands of people were killed in Bhopal and hundreds of thousands more are still suffering from illnesses. Even after all these years, their pain has not subsided and the poison in the air has not gone, yet the company is enjoying abroad. They are not thinking of any of the victims. It is a very small thing to protest this. For such heinous acts, we should all unite and fight," said Rehman, who had played for Indian Hockey Team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
Meanwhile, one of the most recognizable faces of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy campaign, Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action has criticised the London Olympics Committee for allowing Dow Chemicals to sponsor the show.
" Dow Chemicals has been given the task of undertaking some construction around the stadium. It is a very great thing that besides the gas tragedy victims, even our former Olympians, who have made our country proud, are also demanding the boycott of Dow Chemicals from sponsoring the event. They are writing petitions to the London Olympic Committee, Indian Olympic Association and also other persons as part of the protest, and will continue to stand by the victims in the future as well," said Sarangi.
In the early hours of December 3, 1984, around 40 metric tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked into the atmosphere and was carried by the wind to the surrounding slums.
The government says around 3,500 died because of the disaster. Activists however calculate that 25,000 people died in the immediate aftermath and the years that followed. (ANI)
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