How Activist Tota Ram Chauhan Fought For The Rights Of Bhopal Gas Victims

His commitment extended beyond his work at UCIL to becoming a critical prosecution witness and active participant in tribunals and commissions aimed at uncovering the lapses at the pesticide plant. His book, Bhopal: The Inside Story, remains a powerful testament to his resolve against corporate negligence and disregard for safety

The Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan (BGPMUS) and the Bhopal Gas Peedith Sanghrash Sahayog Samiti (BGPSSS) have expressed their deep shock and dismay at the untimely demise of Tota Ram Chauhan (69) in Bangalore on September 26 due to brain stroke. Chauhan is a renowned activist who fought for the rights of the gas victims. Information about his demise reached Bhopal a couple of days ago

Talking to Bizz Buzz, NK Singh, an eminent journalist who had widely covered the Bhopal Gas tragedy as a national daily’s reporter, said, “I remember Totaram Chauhan as a very concerned citizen when the gas leak tragedy happened and at a time when most of the Union Carbide employees preferred to shut their mouth fearing loss of job.”

Chauhan was one of the workers and the union leaders who had raised his voice at that period of time and thus helping domestic and the international mediamen who had been reporting the event, he added.

Born on July 1, 1955, Chauhan joined Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) in 1975 as a trainee. Later, he worked as plant operator from 1977 until the Bhopal disaster in December 1984.

As a UCIL worker and union member, Chauhan had taken active interest in improving working conditions and safety at the workplace and surrounding areas.

ND Jayaprakash, Co-Convener, BGPSSS, said, “Since the disaster, he was deeply involved in exposing the machinations of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and UCIL Management to cover up their criminal negligence in failing to maintain proper and requisite safety standards at the pesticide plant. Subsequently, Chauhan volunteered to become a key prosecution witness against the accused in the ongoing Bhopal disaster criminal case.”

As an ex-employee of UCIL, Chauhan also made oral and written submissions before the “Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal’s Third Session on Industrial & Environmental Hazards and Human Rights”, which was held in Bhopal from 19 to 24 October 1992. In addition, Chauhan was one of the key volunteers, who facilitated the holding of the International Medical Commission on Bhopal (ICMB) in Bhopal from 07 to 25 January 1994. Based on his work experience and personal knowledge of the inadequacy of the safety systems installed at the MIC Unit of UCIL, Chauhan wrote a book in 1994 titled “Bhopal: The Inside Story” to expose and ridicule the bogus “sabotage theory” that UCC had been propagating. The book included testimonies by other workers of UCIL as well.

As a socially committed individual, Chauhan did all he could to further the cause of the Bhopal gas victims. His absence, therefore, will be sorely missed at this crucial stage of the hearings in the ongoing criminal cases against UCIL, UCC and its successor, the Dow Chemical Company, and concerned officials.