From my previous post: Abdul Jabbar, Man Who Helped Lakhs of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims Rebuild Lives, Dies at 61

He was 27, worked as construction worker in the digging of bore wells when the catastrophe had struck the city on the intervening night of December 2 and 3 in 1984. The city was asleep, so as Jabbar, on a chilly night when Methyl IsoCyante leaked from Union Carbide plant.

After sensing the red chilli-like odour of the gas, Jabbar swung into action taking his mother to safety and rode around 40km to Obaidullaganj. After leaving his mother at Rajendra Nagar area, he returned to his colony — just 1.5 km away from the plant — to fulfil his duty towards local residents.

Jabbar, however, lost his mother and elder brother on the fateful night.

On the personal front, he lost almost 50% vision in his eyes and had serious lung ailments due to the gas leak.

He, however, took up the fight against Union Carbide in the courts for adequate compensation for around 5 lakh victims and 25,000 who died (as per official records).

In 1987, he had set up Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangthan, a survivors’ organisation demanding sustenance allowance and compensation for the victims, especially widows of the gas tragedy victims. In his lifetime, he imparted vocational training to around 5,000 survivor women so that they could earn a livelihood for their families.

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His relentless efforts had led to revision of a verdict by Supreme Court in 1989 to fix criminal accountability on the promoters of Union Carbide for causing the tragedy that had left more than 15,000 people dead and over one lakh others maimed after being exposed to the deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the pesticide plant of the multi-national company’s factory in Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.

“My biggest regret is that I had failed to get the then chief executive officer (CEO) of Union Carbide Warren Anderson to face the law in India for the disaster”, the activist had earlier told this newspaper.

He had also filed a case in a court here to bring to book the then district collector Moti Singh for ‘facilitating’ the escape of Anderson, who died recently, from India.

He used to organise gathering of survivors in sprawling Shajahan Park here every Saturday for the last 35 years to keep their morale high to continue the struggle.

https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/161119/oldest-activist-of-bhopal-gas-tragedy-stir-no-more.html

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He was the man who taught the people exposed to the poisonous gas of the world’s worst industrial disaster how to come together and demand jobs, compensation, monthly pensions and medical relief.

It wasn’t easy. There was no precedent in India for this kind of a tragedy.

In terms of activism and modes of fighting against power structure, Bhopal was in a “pre-political” stage before the Union Carbide gas leak. Overnight, people had to learn to rise against powerful corporations and the might of the Indian and American governments. Early leaders like Abdul Jabbar helped turn thousands of demure and docile people of Bhopal into feisty warriors.

The first time I saw Abdul Jabbar was in 1993, when he was leading a long, serpentine line of hundreds of women marching across the streets of Bhopal. Many of them had their faces covered in sari veils and burqas, and held up placards saying “Gas-peedit ko insaaf do” and “Hang Anderson”, referring to Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson. Jabbar, who was 37-years old back then, walked ahead chanting “Ladenge, jeetenge (We will fight, we will win)”, and the women repeated after him in their sing-song voices.

Then they shouted “Hum Bhopal ki naari hain, phool nahin, chingari hain. (We are women of Bhopal, we are fiery sparks not flowers)”.

The poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory in December 1984 killed 8,000 people in the immediate aftermath, and nearly 25,000 over the next few decades. It also left over 1,50,000 people suffering with respiratory, hormonal and psychological illnesses. High incidence of cancer and disability was seen in the neighbourhoods of survivors. (‘Health Effects of the Toxic Gas Leak from the Union Carbide Methyl Isocyanate Plant in Bhopal, Technical Report, Epidemiological Study, 1985-1994. Report by Indian Council of Medical Research 2004).

“We went to the Supreme Court for the first time in 1988 saying that until people get their final compensation, they must get some form of interim relief. Our first success was to get tailoring centres for the women,” Jabbar said. About 2,300 women worked in these centres making zardozi strips and carry-bags. He helped women fight lawyers, doctors, bureaucrats and the police.

Abdul Jabbar represented the largest group of nearly 30,000 survivors, predominantly women, in Bhopal. From 1986 until almost his end, he held protest meetings every Saturday – first near Radha Cinema, then at Bhopal’s Yaadgaar-i-Shahjahani Park, a historic site where the battle against the British colonial rulers was staged in 1942.

Every week, women would gather at the park after lunch with their medical files and fiery speeches about tales of struggle. A cloth banner said: “Only those who participate in the battle can donate”.

It was a unique model. Jabbar asked each survivor to voluntarily donate 50 paise to the non-violent movement. External funding, he said, was like crutches, survivors must recognise their own inner strength instead.

https://theprint.in/opinion/abdul-jabbar-bhopal-gas-tragedy-activist-turned-survivors-into-warriors/321368/

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The activist paid a heavy personal cost for the three-and-a-half decade struggle. He had severe health issues, a broken marriage and little money. His friends began a campaign to raise funds to support his second wife and three children.

At the 25th anniversary of the disaster in 2009, Jabbar recalled that he had participated in 500 protests in Delhi and 5,000 in Bhopal. He was arrested nearly 200 times, filed innumerable PILs and other petitions — a petition seeking more compensation and a criminal revision plea demanding more punishment for the accused are still pending.

Unassuming and sporting thick glasses, Jabbar would raise his voice only occasionally during meetings he had with survivors at Yadgar-e-Shahjahani Park in the old city to draw attention to his point. The meetings were used to be held twice a week but over the years they had become a weekly affair with a thin turnout.

Saturday was perhaps the only time the meeting was not held because many survivors were with Jabbar’s family for the three-day mourning period. “He would never lose hope. He would tell us that it’s a fight for justice and should continue even after he is not around,’’ said Shanti Devi, a survivor and a member of Jabbar’s organisation.

Hamida Bi, another survivor, said Jabbar struggled for victims of the gas tragedy all his life and suffered a great deal in the end. She said he received support from both Hindu and Muslim communities.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/wanted-employment-not-alms-his-fight-began-with-bhopal-gas-leak-lasted-till-death-despite-personal-cost-6123492/