Never forget the Bhopal gas tragedy, says victim

Former cricketer says the horror of that night will haunt him forever

Former cricketer says the horror of that night will haunt him forever

As India marks 25 years of the Bhopal gas tragedy today, former Madhya Pradesh and Ranji Trophy cricketer, Bhopal-based Javed Ansari (60), has a message for Indian cricketers playing Sri Lanka at the Cricket Club of India's (CCI) Brabourne Stadium.

Says Javed, "Mark this day in some way. Wearing black bands while playing may be symbolic. Because you are currently playing in front of thousands, you have a platform for a message.
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Even if you cannot wear bands, at least remember people those whose lives were cut short because of the Bhopal gas tragedy."

That night

He adds, "How can I ever forget the night of December 3? Actually, it began on December 2, 1984 and the panic and horror continued till December 3 morning.
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I was returning from Indore to Bhopal by bus after a match. The bus rolled in to Bhopal on a cold and misty night at 11.45 pm on December 2, 1984.

The bodies of victims lined up after the poison gas leak, which killed over 3,000 in Bhopal.

"It was midnight as I was walking home, just 1.5 km from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. I noticed pandemonium on the roads. People were running south, away from the Carbide plant."

Caught up in the panic, Javed also ran. "I started running towards my home.

I could not breathe. My eyes were burning as if somebody had thrown chillies into them. I quickly went to a nearby lake and washed my face and that brought relief."

Javed says when he reached home, "My house doors were open. Everybody had fled home, my wife, my children, younger brothers, nephews and nieces. Only my aged mother was at home."

The former all-rounder says, "Next morning, I saw dead bodies everywhere. The government says there were 3,000 casualties, I would put that at no less than 15,000."

The cricketer ends with, 'I want not just Mumbai, but India to remember, because what happened in Bhopal could happen in any city."

Did you know?
Nearly 40 tonnes of lethal Methyl Isocyanate had escaped from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. The pesticide plant was shifted from America because it was ''too risky'' for Americans.

25 years since...

The Bhopal gas tragedy took place on December 3, 1984.

The Union Carbide plant accidentally released methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals.

The Madhya Pradesh government confirms a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. Others put the figure at 25,000.

Years after, new-borns continue to suffer deformities and victims continue to fight for compensation
and justice.

A photography exhibition is being held at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai to mark 25 years of the disaster.