On a fateful night of 2nd Dec, 1984 and the early morning of 3rd Dec, 1984 deadly MIC gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. Biting cold weather of December night of Central India, allowed the gas to descend near the ground like an envelop of death.
Unsuspecting, unaware and clueless mostly poor citizens that lived in the vicinity of the factory, by the railway tracks and near the Bhopal Junction Railway station died a horribly painful death. Some say 3000, others say 15000 died on the fateful night or post the accident. Nearly half a million were scarred for life as they suffered from multitude of problems due to exposure from the toxic gas.
It is well publicized that the then government of Rajiv Gandhi at the center and state government of the same party with Arjun Singh as Chief Minister, gave safe passage to Warren Anderson, Union Carbide Boss, from Bhopal to US.
What is lesser known fact is that the then government had deported a German Toxicologist,
(a.) who was in town,
(b) who had worked on the toxic effect of MIC,
(c) who knew about the antidote Sodium Thiosulphate that could have saved life,
(d) who wanted to reach Bhopal with antidote on the same night. on the very night he tried to fly to Bhopal with antidote.
The Railway Men, a recently released series on the OTT platform Netflix, tells the story of brave station master, Iftekaar Siddiqui, of Bhopal Junction station on the fateful night. It tells the story of new recruit Imad Riaz, who worked selflessly to save people, in the process losing his own life.
The Railway Men tells the story of a determined General Manager, Rati Sharma, who motivated crew from Itarsi and piloted a train to Bhopal with men, medicine, and all necessary items of help, all pro bono, despite an inimical government.
The Railway Men tells the story of an incompetent, apathetic rail minister, one can Google the name, and central government that tried every bit to sabotage journey of rescue train to Bhopal. The government also stopped a consignment of Sodium Thiosulphate from being flown to Bhopal from Delhi.
The film showed central government in poor light but did not touch the state government, which had it’s seat in Bhopal and was totally incompetent and certainly complicit.
The story line is gripping. Acting of
Kay Kay Menon as station master Iftkaar Siddiqui,
Madhavan as GM Rati Sharma,
Babil Khan as Imad Riaz a new recruit,
Juhi Chawla as DG Indian Railways,
Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Kamruddin, an engineer at Carbide who had shut off the system in time and saved many lives but lost his own. His pregnant wife delivered a baby who had genetic deformity.
Divyendu Sharma a crook dressed as a constable, needs no mention. They were wonderful through out. Babil Khan so reminded of his departed father, Irrfan.
Also the journalist Jagmohan Kumawat, played by Sunny Hinduja, who had photographed the victims and fought their battle. Kumawat passed away during COVID pandemic in Delhi.
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