Bhopal Gas tragedy activist Abdul Jabbar, awarded Padma Shri posthumously

Bhopal Gas tragedy activist Abdul Jabbar, has been awarded Padma Shri, posthumously.  Abdul Jabbar who fought for justice to victims and survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, passed away on 14th November 2019 at a private hospital in Bhopal city after a prolonged illness due to the infamous Bhopal Gas tragedy.

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Jabbar had lost nearly 50% of his vision and suffered from lung fibrosis in the Bhopal gas tragedy, which is known to be the world's worst industrial disaster. Jaffar had also lost his mother, father and brother in the gas leak incident.

He had organised several protests, seeking compensation for the gas tragedy victims' kin and survivors. In 1987, he started the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, one of the organisations that fought the cause of victims of the industrial disaster.

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Jaffar was severely diabetic and was moved from one hospital to another during his illness. He suffered multiple heart ailments due to which Madhya Pradesh Government had announced that it would bear expenses of his treatment. As his condition worsened, the government was making preparations to airlift him on 19 November 2019 to be shifted to Mumbai's Asian Heart Hospital for further treatment. However, Jaffar passed away before he could be shifted to Mumbai.

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The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a severe gas leakage on the intervening night of December 2 and 3 in 1984 at the Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) Pesticide Plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The tragedy has claimed more than 15,000 lives after the deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the UCIL pesticide plant. The CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation at the time of the disaster, Warren Anderson, an American, escaped from India after the mishap happened. There had also been several complaints of gas leaks since the commissioning of the plant however none were taken seriously leading to the fatal disaster.

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(With inputs from ANI)