Netflix’s The Railway Men: The real story of The Bhopal Gas Tragedy & it’s comparison with Chernobyl | Explained

Did you know that the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy are still awaiting justice? But how much can the Netflix’s mini-series The Railway Men other than creating awareness about what actually happened in the Union Carbide factory and the contribution of the railway did to raise awareness about the issue?

The Netflix’s show was able to at least question a lot of things like what actually happened to the widows? How much money they were given and most importantly the condition of the widow colony that was built up after the accident.

The Bhopal gas tragedy

Going back to the incident of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, India experienced a horror of untold magnitude in the form of the Bhopal gas leak in which over 5,00,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate gas and other highly toxic substances like carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide. This incident not only killed many people of the town, but the children who were born during after this period had several deformities. This too is shown in the mini-series, The Railway Men.

The incident had taken place at the Plant Number C of the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. As per a report published in Firstpost earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government’s estimated, the tragedy killed 3,787 people in and around Bhopal. However, media reports peg the actual death toll anywhere between 16,000 and 30,000, and the injury count close to 500,000. A whopping five lakh were exposed to the toxic gas leak.

What is also important is the aftermath of the tragedy. According to a report published in the Financial Express, The aftermath involved continuous legal battles along with the controversial safe sending away of Warren Anderson which is again shown in the beginning of the Netflix’s mini-series, The Railway Men.

The medical coverage and funding for victims is still a big question mark. Despite various legal actions, the victims’ quest for enhanced compensation faced setbacks with courts dismissing appeals.

The long-standing legal battle continued for years. Ultimately, the Indian Supreme Court dismissed a petition for enhanced compensation in March 2023, marking another chapter in the prolonged struggle for justice and restitution for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims.

Comparison of the Chernobyl & Bhopal tragedy

First there was the Chernobyl accident, then there was the Bhopal gas tragedy. According to reports, the Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5 percent of the radioactive reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe. Two Chernobyl plant workers died due to the explosion on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation syndrome.