As the tragedy completes 35 years, tributes poured in on social media. (File)
In one of world's worst industrial disasters, more than 20,000 people were choked to death in Bhopal on this day in 1984 after toxic gas leaked from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory. Thousands others developed severe health complications and continued to suffer from the ill effects later.
A recent report by the UN labour agency International Labour Organization (ILO) said that in 1984, at least 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, which was released from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Madhya Pradesh capital, affected more than 600,000 workers and nearby inhabitants.
The report titled "The Safety and Health at the Heart of the Future of Work - Building on 100 years of experience" said the Bhopal disaster was among the world's "major industrial accidents after 1919".
Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson, a US citizen, had escaped shortly after the tragedy and never appeared before a court for trial in the case. He died in the United States in 2013.
Over the last three decades, many activists have fought for justice to over 20,000 victims and thousands of survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. Activists have claimed that thousands of children and grandchildren of gas tragedy survivors have been born with congenital defects, cerebral palsy and even cancer.
As the tragedy completes 35 years, tributes poured in on social media.
"35 years for the #BhopalGasTragedy ! Thousands of lives were lost..Lakhs were disabled..Its toxic effects are still born by the present generations..I pay my Homage to the victims..," Telangana MP Arvind Dharmapuri wrote on Twitter.
"35 years back on this day, #Bhopal witnessed one of the capitalism killed more than 16000 people in #BhopalGasTragedy. How soon we forget things! How soon we forget who helped the main culprit fly. Warren Anderson has died in 2014. Many still suffering. #capitalismkills," read the tweet on CPIM's official account.
Another user wrote on social media: "This was such a horrible tragedy. I STILL don't buy Eveready batteries because Union Carbide manufactured it. We had badges that said Ban Eveready... And, Anderson was allowed to get away. #NeverForget #NeverForgive #BhopalGasTragedy ~CHECK~OmShanti~CHECK~ for those souls affected."