Sun Dec 01 06:10:04 UTC 2024: ## Bhopal Disaster: Lawyer’s Warning Ignored 21 Months Before Tragedy
**Bhopal, India** – A legal notice sent to Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) nearly 21 months before the devastating Bhopal gas tragedy, warning of grave public health risks from the pesticide plant, was summarily dismissed by the company, according to recently resurfaced documents.
Lawyer Shahnawaz Khan, nephew of prominent freedom fighter Khan Shakir Ali Khan, served the notice on March 4, 1983, highlighting several previous gas leaks at the plant and expressing concerns about the safety of over 50,000 residents living nearby. Khan’s concerns, detailed in the notice, included the death of a worker following a phosgene gas leak in 1981 and subsequent incidents resulting in hospitalizations of numerous workers and residents. He urged UCIL to halt the production of toxic gases within 15 days.
In a strongly worded reply dated April 29, 1983, UCIL’s Bhopal unit works manager, J Mukund, dismissed Khan’s allegations as baseless, claiming the plant had sophisticated safety devices and adhered to all precautions. Mukund stated that the company had the necessary permits to operate and that Khan’s concerns stemmed from a lack of understanding of factory operations.
Khan, now 73, revealed that following the dismissive response, he began gathering evidence to file a lawsuit against UCIL. However, before he could complete his documentation, the catastrophic gas leak occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984, resulting in the deaths of 5,479 people and injuries to over 500,000.
The revelation underscores the potential consequences of ignoring early warnings about industrial safety. The tragedy remains the world’s worst industrial disaster, a stark reminder of the devastating impact of corporate negligence.
First Piper 