expert in M.P., who had conducted
autopsies on gas victims has also
strongly indicated the presence of
hydrogen cyanide in the dead
bodies.
U.C.C made various attempts
to confuse scientists; leading to a
division of opinion over the
chemical cause of the deaths.
Union Carbide Corporation
made every effort and let loose its
considerable financial and lobby
about to contain the matter.
It influenced Dr N.P.Mishra,
Professor of Medicine, Gandhi
Medical college in Bhopal, who
also had conducted autopsies on
victims by luring him by inviting to
private seminars, purported to
discuss the effects of Methyl Iso-
cynate (MIC) to which he attended
by travelling USA bypassing the
health ministry for such private
seminars. He was also felicitated
to meet the judge in the USA, who
then also visited laboratories in
USA and UK to discuss with
scientists there on medical effects
of MIC on human system. Thus
Dr.Mehata was roped to its side
by U.C.C, which claims that it was
MIC that leaked in to atmosphere.
This Dr.Mehata influenced by
U.C.C had went even to the extent
of making the Director of health
service, health ministry of M.P, to
decide to not use STS (Sodium try
sulphate injections) on victims.
STS is the right drug for hydrogen
cyanide poisoning; thus he
colluded with the U.C.C, to support
the claim of UCC, that it was only
MIC that caused the deaths of
victims.
Against this even the
Congress leader Digvijay Singh
had written a letter to P.M. Rajiv
Gandhi on 29/8/85 complaining
that “many victims have died
because the government doctor
refused to administer the right
12
drug viz STS”. He also stated that
with the administration of STS,
there was a subjective
improvement and objective
improvement in a good number (of
victims).
Moreover the U.C.C even
refused to suggest treatment to
the gas victims, according to a
secret note in the PMO file Oct.10,
1985, which states that “U.C.C’s
technical team which came on 6 th
December 1984, included one
occupational health specialist of
Indian origin. The team was
repeatedly requested to provide
information on toxicity and medical
treatment. They did not provide
any”. Such was the monstrosity of
the U.C.C.
All these above evidence
clearly indicate that it was not MIC,
but Hydrogen Cynate that was
released from UCIL Bhopal plant
that caused devastation.
U.C.C propagated that “it was
proved that MIC at a temperature
of more than 200 degrees Celsius
breaks up in to Hydrogen Cyanide
molecules”. But it chose to not to
explain what made the Bhopal
plant to keep MIC at a temperature
of more than 200 degrees
Celsius, knowing full well of the
outcome. U.C.C. cannot argue
that the atmospheric temperature
at Bhopal on that day was more
than 200 degrees Celsius.
With the above available paltry
information with a correct
reasoning one can easily arrive to
the conclusion of probability that:
a) It was not MIC but Hydrogen
Cyanide that was released from
Bhopal plant. b) UCIL is not
indulged in the production of
pesticides only as per its stated
objective. c) When connected
with its past history, there is every
probability to UCC being engaged
in experiments of chemical war-
fare, with trails of those chemicals
on human beings for finding their
effect. d) Since it was not easy
and possible to conduct such
chemical experiments on human
beings, under rigorous regulations,
laws and checks in USA or in any
other developed country, U.C.C
chose to conduct such horrible
and inhuman experiments in the
developing country India, which
was dependent on foreign
assistance, US aid and foreign
private capital-in this case US
private capital-for development.
U.S.aid
programmes
for
development of agriculture and
agricultural commodities has
proved the way to UCC to enter
India under the pretext of
production of chemical pesticides,
enabling it conduct chemical war
experiments on the people of India.
Even in the case of mass deaths
during these chemical war
experiments, U.C.C. can easily
come out by paying paltry amounts
in compensation against huge
compensation amounts payable in
U.S., by class-action suites.
So it is plausible to conclude
that U.C.C. has chosen Bhopal
plant, to conduct its chemical war
experiments using people of India
as guinea pigs. Thus monstrous
and horrible dimension of the role
of foreign capital in the borrowing
countries particularly in India can
easily be seen in the present
epoch of imperialist globalisation.
In the ‘clinical trails’ industry run
by foreign capital through its
subsidiaries, the people of our
country are used as ‘guinea pigs’
with impurity. In the same way in
the ‘surrogacy’ industry run by
foreign capital through its
agencies and agents the women
employed as surrogacy mothers
too are treated inhumanly as
‘guinea pigs’.
Class Struggle