Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Stories from the Shadows of 1984

On December 3, 1984, Bhopal witnessed the catastrophic gas leak from Union Carbide. A scientist, among others, unaware of the unfolding nightmare, discovered the event through rumors and incomplete information. The incident, which tragically impacted thousands, revealed the severe limitations of communication during that era.

On December 3, 1984, Bhopal was the site of the catastrophic Union Carbide gas leak, a day that began like any other for many, including a former scientist at the Research Centre. Unaware of the impending disaster, he awaited his usual bus, gradually sensing trouble as it failed to arrive.

With no modern communication technologies, people depended on landlines and hearsay for information. It was this formless web of rumors that first informed the scientist of the disaster, as confusion reigned in the city's labyrinth of narrow lanes and small shops.

The full scale of the tragedy, which killed thousands and injured hundreds of thousands, became evident only in the following days, underlining the profound impact and the horrors of the world's worst industrial disaster.

(With inputs from agencies.)