Why do we need a GoM on Bhopal? It would have been pertinent to set up one if there was a need to find out if the disaster did happen. Or the responsibility for the leakage could not be ascertained. But all these are not in dispute. Even if a token punishment has been awarded, it has established the onus on those who committed the crime. The sole and the grim tragedy that still trails Bhopal is, therefore, the lack of compensation, which the victims should have got a long time ago. Since Union Carbide does not exist and the liability does not pass on any more to Dow Chemicals, the only agency that can possibly offer restitution is the government of India. So, the only possible role of the GoM is to set a sum that should be offered as compensation. But this could have been established by a government agency like the National Disaster Management Authority, unless the plan is to further push the issue into files for another quarter of a century.
What looks more plausible is that the outcry generated by the court?s convictions for the Bhopal tragedy has taken the establishment by surprise and the GoM is a response to this. It will possibly bring order to the sordid mess where different actors are falling over each other to spill secrets and point fingers hither and thither. From the point of view of the victims and their sympathisers, who have been patiently waiting for the guilty to be brought to the books while struggling for medical attention, two years? imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh each probably seems like dark comedy. The judgement has been the natural consequence of the watering down of charges over time and in any case had limited ability to offer restitution after so many years. The judiciary, which has not shone in this case, is also trying to deflect attention towards the investigating and prosecuting agencies. These, in turn, argue that their actions have been circumscribed by political actors. And this is where a can of worms has really spilt and raised a stink. For example, Digvijay Singh has raised the bogey of American pressure in letting then-Union Carbide CEO fly back home. The man hasn?t been extradited back since. The Opposition and even UPA ally Trinamool has taken the opportunity to try and stall the Nuclear Liability Bill. Some of their questions with regard to the liability cap may be valid, but the smell of crass opportunism is in the air.