Bhopal, February 19 (Pervez Bari): A surviving victim of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy Syed Mohammad Irfan, who was in the forefront fighting for the cause of the other survivors, passed away on Friday afternoon after protracted illness.
Mr. Irfan was 62 years old and is survived by his wife and two sons. He was laid to rest at Bada Bagh graveyard on Friday night with large numbers of gas survivors and others attended his funeral.
He headed an NGO namely Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha of which he was the president. Though a survivor of the gas disaster himself, late Mr. Irfan was an active campaigner for justice in the case of Union Carbide in Bhopal. Despite being severely exposed to the toxic gas he led many demonstrations of the survivors in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and then stayed active till his last days.
In 2006, despite frail length Irfan marched on foot from Bhopal to Delhi seeking medical care and rehabilitation for the people poisoned by Union Carbide. Following Dow’s takeover of Union Carbide in 2001, he devoted himself to mobilizing public opinion on the issue of toxic contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory.
He traveled to several places within India including Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Plachimada (Kerala), Raipur, and other places to raise awareness on Bhopal and in solidarity with other people’s movements in the Country.
He was part of the joint front of four organizations viz. Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Children Against Dow-Carbide and Bhopal Group for Information and Action since 2004. He was also a member of International Coalition for Justice in Bhopal.
The four fellow organizations and his fellow campaigners have mourned Mr. Irfan’s death and resolved to continue with the struggle with which he was associated for the larger part of his life.
It may be mentioned here that 40 tonnes of poisonous methyl isocyanate gas spewed out from the pesticide plant of the Union Carbide factory in the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. The gas leak killed 3,000 people instantly and more that 25,000 over the years. It also affected 100,000 people that night and estimates are that more than 500,000 continue to suffer till date. (pervezbari@eth.net)