Bhopal, November 15
Abdul Jabbar, whose name had for 35 years become synonymous with Bhopal gas tragedy survivors’ battle for better rehabilitation and health facilities, died on Thursday in near penury and for want of proper treatment during over two months’ hospitalisation.
The 62-year-old activist, who fought for justice for nearly 20,000 victims and thousands of survivors of world’s worst industrial disaster in recent times, was buried in a graveyard near the Bhopal railway station after Friday namaz with hundreds admirers in attendance. He is survived by three minor children and wife Saira Bano.
As a 27-year-old, Jabbar had seen his parents and brother dying during the gas tragedy 35 years ago. He had even tried to drive his mother almost 40 km from the town on the fateful night. The personal loss and that of a large neighbourhood turned him into an activist.
Jabbar regretted that Union Carbide ex-CEO Warren Anderson, a US citizen, had escaped shortly after the tragedy. He died in the US in 2014. For nearly a year, Jabbar suffered lung fibrosis and lost 50 per cent vision following an accident last year. For the past three months he was diagnosed with cardiac problems and diabetes and had developed gangrene in his leg. Ironically, while he stood for fellow citizens in championing the cause of the gas victims, he did not seek financial assistance for his own treatment. His friends did seek to raise some money through social media. The government then woke up and resolved to bear the expenses for his treatment besides providing assistance to his family. The effort came too late. — IANS
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/32U9TDQ
via Today’s News Headlines
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