113:. He repeated the warning in two follow-up articles on 1 October "Jwalamukhi ke muhane baitha Bhopal" ("Bhopal sitting on the brink of a volcano") and on 8 October "Na samjhoge to aakhir mit hi jaoge" ("If you don’t understand, you all shall be wiped out") that year. On 5 October, four days after the second article, 18 people at the Union Carbide plant were exposed to a mixture of chloroform, methyl isocyanate and
163:
in 1985. In his acceptance speech
Keswani noted that he might be the first to receive the award for such a spectacular journalistic failure "had he succeed at his task no one would have ever taken note." Keswani received the "Madhav Rao Sapre Puraskar" award in 2008. He received the Prem Bhatia Award
141:
Being a journalist, Keswani initially knew nothing about the chemistry and composition of the chemicals or their behaviour. His conviction that the Union
Carbide Bhopal plant was headed for disaster grew out of two small pieces of information that he happened to read independently. One was in a Union
158:
After the disaster, Keswani was interviewed on radio and television shows, as he was the only journalist who knew anything about the Union
Carbide Bhopal plant. He was called a "Cassandra" and a "lone voice in the wilderness." Keswani became the youngest person ever to receive the Indian B.D. Goenka
120:
In the article "Bhopal: On the Brink of a
Disaster," Keswani reported on a series of incidents and asserted that the leak on 5 October 1982 had affected thousands of residents of neighboring slum districts who fled in fear and returned only after eight hours. He also asserted in the article that in
108:
Reports of safety lapses in the plant had started surfacing in 1981 — three years before the disaster — when a minor gas leak killed an employee inside the plant. Keswani first wrote about inadequate safety standards on 26 September 1982 with a title "Bachaiye huzoor is shahar ko bachaiye" ("Save
132:
exchange Union
Carbide India manager J. Mukund (one of the accused who was convicted on 7 June) sent asking for advice about coating the pipes. The U.S.-based parent company sent him a message saying that the best material for piping would be too expensive and too difficult to acquire. They
99:
Keswani began to take an interest in the affairs of the Union
Carbide Bhopal India plant in 1981 when Mohammad Ashraf, his friend who was a plant employee, spoke of possible dangers posed by leaks. He died in an accident at the plant on 24 December 1981 after inhaling phosgene. For internal
137:
escaped their responsibility when they were advising Bhopal to economise on safety measures and instructed Bhopal to use cheaper material. They were advising it to compromise on safety. Mukund's message was sent on 27 August 1984 — a few months before the fateful leak.
150:. With these two incidental pieces of information, Keswani launched an investigation that convinced him that Bhopal was on the road to tragedy. In spite of the shrillness of his warnings, no one paid him attention. Even his friends thought he was crazy.
100:
information sources
Keswani found two people who were fired — Bashirullah and Shankar Malviya who helped him to get hold of all manuals and confidential reports. It took Keswani nine months to write his first piece in 1982.
95:
pesticides plant overnight on 2–3 December 1984. Keswani had written several articles, from 1982 through 1984, detailing that safety standards at the plant were inadequate and that a catastrophic leak could result.
125:, had asked Union Carbide to move the plant away from its present site because of the rapid growth of residential neighborhoods around it. Union Carbide were lucky because Buch was transferred from his post.
146:(MIC) broke down into, such as phosgene, were "heavier than air." Reference to phosgene caught his attention while reading an article on WWII; it had been one of the chemicals used in the German
541:
434:
438:
493:
536:
511:
366:
260:
403:
531:
296:
182:
516:
344:
452:
216:
526:
521:
238:
217:"Bhopal gas tragedy: The man who tried to expose Union Carbide and the warnings that were ignored"
428:
271:
399:
143:
114:
196:
88:
87:
Keswani was the first journalist to bring attention to the safety lapses and impending
505:
392:
191:
134:
92:
147:
494:
Journalist who warned of Bhopal gas tragedy dies of post COVID-19 complications
160:
122:
68:
473:
187:
142:
Carbide report that mentioned in passing that several of the gases that
44:
324:"Bhopal gas disaster: Corporate negligence with deadly consequences"
323:
129:
172:
Keswani died from complications from COVID-19 on 21st May 2021.
79:(26 November 1950 – 21 May 2021) was a senior journalist.
190:, is loosely based on Rajkumar Keswani. It was played by
109:Please, Save This City") in the small weekly paper
64:
52:
30:
23:
391:
117:from a leaking valve. None were seriously harmed.
367:"He predicted the disaster, but no one listened"
164:2010 for Outstanding Environmental Reporting.
8:
433:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
186:, journalist Motwani's character, played by
453:"Sapra Awards for investigative Journalism"
421:We All Live In Bhopal, Fifth Estate. Winter
104:Raising alarm before the disaster in Bhopal
91:that eventually came to pass at the town's
542:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India
437:) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
20:
345:"Bhopal Gas Verdict: Travesty of Justice"
208:
426:
7:
297:"Indian Journalist Offered Warning"
14:
322:Chhabara, Rajesh (3 June 2010).
537:Journalists from Madhya Pradesh
512:20th-century Indian journalists
241:. Zmagazine. 30 September 2010
1:
268:India's Environment — 1984-85
16:Indian journalist (1950–2021)
394:Five Past Midnight in Bhopal
121:1975, M.N. Buch, an Indian
558:
219:. IBNLive. 8 December 2014
183:Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain
159:Award for Excellence in
239:"The Verdict in Bhopal"
194:in 2023 Netflix series
180:In 2014 Bollywood film
154:Life after the disaster
47:, Madhya Pradesh, India
419:G 1985, Bradford, G.
261:"THE BHOPAL DISASTER"
474:"Prem Bhatia Awards"
532:Writers from Bhopal
128:Keswani reported a
398:. Scribner. 2002.
371:The Times of India
303:. 11 December 1984
301:The New York Times
176:In popular culture
144:methyl isocyanate
115:hydrochloric acid
74:
73:
549:
496:
491:
485:
484:
482:
480:
470:
464:
463:
461:
459:
449:
443:
442:
432:
424:
416:
410:
409:
397:
388:
382:
381:
379:
377:
363:
357:
356:
354:
352:
341:
335:
334:
332:
330:
319:
313:
312:
310:
308:
293:
287:
286:
284:
282:
276:
270:. Archived from
265:
257:
251:
250:
248:
246:
235:
229:
228:
226:
224:
213:
133:highlighted how
77:Rajkumar Keswani
59:
41:26 November 1950
40:
38:
25:Rajkumar Keswani
21:
557:
556:
552:
551:
550:
548:
547:
546:
517:Bhopal disaster
502:
501:
500:
499:
492:
488:
478:
476:
472:
471:
467:
457:
455:
451:
450:
446:
425:
418:
417:
413:
406:
390:
389:
385:
375:
373:
365:
364:
360:
350:
348:
347:. The Day After
343:
342:
338:
328:
326:
321:
320:
316:
306:
304:
295:
294:
290:
280:
278:
274:
263:
259:
258:
254:
244:
242:
237:
236:
232:
222:
220:
215:
214:
210:
205:
197:The Railway Men
178:
170:
156:
106:
89:Bhopal disaster
85:
57:
48:
42:
36:
34:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
555:
553:
545:
544:
539:
534:
529:
524:
519:
514:
504:
503:
498:
497:
486:
465:
444:
411:
404:
383:
358:
336:
314:
288:
277:on 28 May 2016
252:
230:
207:
206:
204:
201:
177:
174:
169:
166:
155:
152:
105:
102:
84:
81:
72:
71:
66:
62:
61:
60:(aged 70)
54:
50:
49:
43:
32:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
554:
543:
540:
538:
535:
533:
530:
528:
525:
523:
520:
518:
515:
513:
510:
509:
507:
495:
490:
487:
475:
469:
466:
454:
448:
445:
440:
436:
430:
422:
415:
412:
407:
405:9780446530880
401:
396:
395:
387:
384:
372:
368:
362:
359:
346:
340:
337:
325:
318:
315:
302:
298:
292:
289:
273:
269:
262:
256:
253:
240:
234:
231:
218:
212:
209:
202:
200:
199:
198:
193:
192:Sunny Hinduja
189:
185:
184:
175:
173:
167:
165:
162:
153:
151:
149:
145:
139:
136:
135:Union Carbide
131:
126:
124:
118:
116:
112:
103:
101:
97:
94:
93:Union Carbide
90:
82:
80:
78:
70:
67:
63:
55:
51:
46:
33:
29:
22:
19:
489:
477:. Retrieved
468:
456:. Retrieved
447:
420:
414:
393:
386:
374:. Retrieved
370:
361:
349:. Retrieved
339:
327:. Retrieved
317:
305:. Retrieved
300:
291:
279:. Retrieved
272:the original
267:
255:
243:. Retrieved
233:
221:. Retrieved
211:
195:
181:
179:
171:
157:
148:gas chambers
140:
127:
119:
110:
107:
98:
86:
76:
75:
58:(2021-05-21)
18:
527:1950 births
522:2021 deaths
479:19 December
458:19 December
376:19 December
351:19 December
329:19 December
307:19 December
281:19 December
245:19 December
56:21 May 2021
506:Categories
223:24 January
203:References
161:Journalism
123:bureaucrat
69:Journalist
65:Occupation
37:1950-11-26
429:cite book
83:Biography
188:Kal Penn
402:
45:Bhopal
275:(PDF)
264:(PDF)
168:Death
130:Telex
111:Rapat
481:2014
460:2014
439:link
435:link
400:ISBN
378:2014
353:2014
331:2014
309:2014
283:2014
247:2014
225:2019
53:Died
31:Born
508::
431:}}
427:{{
369:.
299:.
266:.
483:.
462:.
441:)
423:.
408:.
380:.
355:.
333:.
311:.
285:.
249:.
227:.
39:)
35:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.