BP in 2026?

A court in the Indian city of Bhopal has sentenced eight people to two years each in jail over a gas plant leak that killed thousands of people in 1984.

The convictions are the first since the disaster at the Union Carbide plant – the world’s worst industrial accident.

There is no justice in this world.

Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory...

9 replies on “The World’s Worst Industrial Accident”

  2. I never understand why industrial failure accidents like this net such pussy sentences. That’s what our politicians should focus on. If I ran over 1,000 people with my car, killing them all in a real-life GTA binge AND somehow lived through the inevitable hail of bullets to face arrest, do you think I’d get off with 8-10 years?

  4. I read this earlier. My first thought was “This must be for a smaller chemical spill that happened recently.” I think we can now say that the court system in India is corrupted beyond belief. Of course looking at what courts did to the Exxon Valdez award, the courts in the US are not much better, even though they got more.

  5. It took 26 fucking years to convict them? Are we sure mob justice is not the way to go?

    Meet you all on the torch and pitchfork aisle!

  6. Charles,
    I understand your outrage. I was listening to NPR this morning when the story was disclosed. I thought to myself “25+ years? Man, the cogs of justice turn slowly.” 15,000 people were killed! The horror. I still remember when it happened. Extraordinary.

  7. @2,

    That’s why I have some grudging respect for the Chinese. Executives and government officials who allow dangerous products to go to market get executed.

  8. Cost of Development,

    26 long and painful years for a verdict, “Justice delayed is Justice denied” but here the Justice was delayed as well as denied. Some say its the cost of development that India had to pay, had the government been too harsh on Union Carbide that would have prevent a lot of other companies from Investing in India. Sad but that’s the Truth.

    What’s even disappointing that the chief of Union Carbide who has been declared as Fugitive by the Indian Government is cooling his Heals in his Luxurious Mansion in Long Islands, the USA government has done nothing to Extradite him.

    Vinni

  9. #7 What if the Chinese just kill a scapegoat? That make you feel all warm and fuzzy? They could also kill a few hundred peasants to make way for the factory, and then kill a few more employees while making some plastic crap for you to consume.
    No point here really, just that the Chinese already do a lot of killing in the process.

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