There was outrage in India as senior officials were found guilty by the High Court of the Bhopal gas tragedy and then given what many people believe were extremely lenient sentences. Seven former employees of the Indian subsidiary of an American chemical company were found guilty of “death by negligence” by an Indian court for their roles in the tragedy that left an estimated 15-thousand people dead more than a quarter of a century ago in the world’s worst industrial disaster. The former employees of Union Carbide India Limited, many of them in their 70s, were sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay fines of just 2000 US dollars apiece. All seven were released on bail shortly after the verdict. India’s Central Bureau of Investigation has said the plant had not been following proper safety procedures before the disaster. Large groups of survivors and relatives, along with rights activists, gathered outside the court and chanted slogans saying the verdict was too little, too late. “We wish the eight accused had been convicted and given life sentences. We have witnessed hell on earth. We have seen piles of corpses.” They were also angry at not being allowed inside the court. “The law is supporting the accused in keeping the victims out. Why should they not be allowed inside court? We have fought for the gas victims for the past 23 years. So, why is the law not allowing us inside the court?” Abdul Jabbar, a social activist who set up a women’s trade group to help …
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