Chronology of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy in India

A lone girl is refreshing under the late monsoon rain in the impoverished Oriya Basti Colony in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, near the former Union Carbide industrial complex, Aug. 25, 2009. When the heavy monsoon rain falls every year, the rain seeps through the buried waste of Union Carbide pollute Bhopal's underground reservoirs. Over 30.000 people are here at risk by the ongoing underground water contamination. (Photo: China Daily/CHIPP Organizing Committee)

BHOPAL, India, June 7 (Xinhua) -- An Indian court here Monday convicted all eight accused in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy which killed thousands and handicapped tens of thousands.

The following is the chronology of events in the wake of Bhopal gas leak tragedy from December 2-3, 1984 to June 7, 2010:

-- Dec. 3, 1984: Toxic methyl isocyanate gas released from Union Carbide India Ltd's (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal killed about 30,000 people and injured at least half a million others.

-- Dec. 4, 1984: Warren Anderson, the chairman of Union Carbide, was among nine people arrested. But he was freed on bail of 2,000, U.S. dollars upon a promise to return. Union Carbide was named as the 10th accused in a criminal case charged with culpable homicide.

-- February 1985: The Indian government filed claim for 3.3 billion U.S. dollars from Union Carbide in a U.S. court.

-- 1986: U.S. District Court judge transferred all Bhopal litigation to India.

-- December 1987: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed charge sheet against Warren Anderson and other accused, including Union Carbide (U.S., Union Carbide (Eastern) Hong Kong, and UCIL. Summons served on Anderson and UC (U.S.) on charges of culpable homicide.

-- February 1989: Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Bhopal, issued non-bailable warrant of arrest against Warren Anderson for repeatedly ignoring summons.

-- February 1989: The Indian government and Union Carbide struck an out-of-court deal and compensation of 470 million U.S. dollars was given by Union Carbide.

-- February to March 1989: Public protest against the unjust settlement followed by filing of a number of review and writ petitions against the settlement in the Supreme Court by the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sangatan (BGPMUS), the Bhopal Gas Peedith Sangarsh Sahayog Samiti (BGPSSS) and other concerned groups.

-- 1992: Part of 470 million U.S. dollars was disbursed by the government among Bhopal gas victims.

-- February 1992: Anderson declared fugitive by law for ignoring court summons.

-- November 1994: Despite numerous petitions by survivors' groups, the Supreme Court allowed Union Carbide to sell stake in UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd of Calcutta.

-- September 1996: Supreme Court diluted charges against Indian officials of Union Carbide India Limited --subsidiary, majority owned by Union Carbide Corporation [UCC] -- partly on grounds that culpability lied with UCC.

-- August 1999: Union Carbide announced merger with U.S.-based Dow Chemicals.

-- November 1999: International environment watchdog Greenpeace tested soil, groundwater and wells in and around the derelict Union Carbide factory and found 12 volatile organic chemicals and mercury in quantities up to 6 million times higher than expected.

-- November 1999: Several victims and survivors' organizations file an action suit against Union Carbide and its former CEO, Warren Anderson, in federal court of New York, charging Carbide with violating international human rights law, environmental law, and international criminal law

-- February 2001: Union Carbide refused to take responsibility for UCIL's liabilities in India.

-- January 2002: A study by Srishti and Toxics Links found lead and mercury in breast milk of nursing mothers in communities near the plant.

-- June 2002: Bhopal gas tragedy survivors launched a protest in New Delhi when they heard the Indian government planned to drop charges against Anderson.

-- August 2002: Charges of culpable homicide were maintained against Anderson by Indian court, which demanded his extradition to stand for trial. Meanwhile, a British newspaper reported that Anderson was in New York after U.S. authorities said they were unable to locate him.

-- October 2002: Protests to clean up former UCIL factory site in Bhopal that activists said contained thousands of tons of toxic waste.

-- May 2003: The Indian government formally conveyed its request for extradition of Anderson to the United States.

-- March 2004: A U.S. court said it could order Dow Chemicals to clean soil and ground water in the abandoned factory site if the Indian government provided a no objection certificate. The Indian government forwarded the certificate to the United States.

-- June 2004: The U.S. rejected India's request for extradition of Anderson saying the request did not "meet requirements of certain provisions" of the bilateral extradition treaty.

-- July 19, 2004: India's Supreme Court ordered the Central Bank to pay out more than 15 billion rupees, part of the original 470 million U.S. dollars received as compensation kept in the account since 1992.

-- Oct. 25, 2004: Bhopal gas victims protested against the failure of the government to pay victim's compensation.

-- Oct. 26, 2004: India's Supreme Court set deadline of Nov. 15 to pay out the rest of 470 million U.S. dollars paid by Union Carbide as compensation.

-- June 7, 2010: All eight accused, including the then Chairman of Union Carbide Keshub Mahindra in the Bhopal Gas disaster case, were convicted by a court and sentenced to two years in jail.

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