'The Railway Men': Yash Raj Films Gets Notice From 2 Bhopal Gas Tragedy Convicts

Social activist Rachna Dhingra, opposed the intervention of the convicts, calling it a "facade to mask the truth."

Yash Raj Films, which is producing its first OTT series 'The Railway Men' based on the events surrounding the Bhopal gas tragedy, has received cease and desist orders.

(Photo altered by Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

Yash Raj Films, which is producing its first OTT series 'The Railway Men' based on the events surrounding the Bhopal gas tragedy, has received cease and desist orders from two convicts in the case, asking the makers not to show what exactly 'caused' the disaster.

The show starring the likes of R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu, and Babil Khan was set to release on the anniversary of the tragedy – 2 December. However, there is no official confirmation on the premiere dates now.

The Bhopal gas tragedy, caused by a gas leak at a Union Carbide Company plant in Madhya Pradesh's capital city on the night of 2 December 1984, was one of the worst industrial disasters the world has ever seen. It claimed 3,800 lives (as per Madhya Pradesh government figures) and left more than 3 lakh injured. Media reports, however, peg the death toll at 15,000.

What Is the Row About?

In December last year, Yash Raj Films, one of the top production houses of the country, announced the OTT release of 'The Railway Men', which reportedly depicts the efforts of the unsung heroes of the Bhopal gas tragedy.

Anirban Roy, the lawyer of the two convicts J Mukund and Satya Prakash Choudhary, on Thursday, 10 November, sent the cease and desist notice to the makers, stating that since the "causes of the incident" have "not been firmly established" in any judicial proceeding, they shouldn't be aired in the web series.

Mukund, who was the plant's works manager, and Choudhary, the former production manager, are among eight people who were convicted for causing death by negligence by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal in 2010.

The notice sent to Yash Raj Films also demands an exclusive pre-streaming screening of the web series. 

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint.)

The notice, sent through Mumbai-based law firm Gravitas Legal, asked the makers: 

• Not to show the 'causes of the gas leak' directly or indirectly in the series

• Not to 'depict the characters of their clients J Mukund and SP Choudhary' 

• To arrange for an 'exclusive pre-streaming screening' of the web series

"It is pertinent to note that there is no real or overwhelming need to show the causes of the incident 38 years after its occurrence, and accordingly, spreading of such wrong and misleading information is totally unwarranted."

The cease and desist notice sent to Yash Raj Films

The notice also contends not to show the causes of the disaster based on the claims of Choudhary, which he made in 2016, saying that the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred due to the "deliberate direct infusion of water as an act of sabotage."

In other words, someone inside the gas plant deliberately poured water into the container (from where the gas leaked), and thus, the tragedy was a man-made disaster caused by an act of sabotage.

The gas Methyl Isocyanate reacts with water and increases the temperature within the container which, in turn, increases the pressure inside it.

Rachna Dhingra, a social activist working with the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy, opposed the intervention of the convicts, calling it a "facade to mask the truth."

She claimed that the perpetrators did not want people to see the truth. "A web series, if aired with all the right facts, would expose them to the core and they don't want to let the truth prevail," she told The Quint.

How Has Yash Raj Films Responded?

Yash Raj Films have denied the contents of the notice and have asked for a week to give a detailed response. 

"It is stated that the contents of the Notice are denied in toto by us… We are in the process of collating the relevant information that is required to respond to your Notice and therefore, seek time of 1 (one) week to give a detailed response to your Notice [sic]," Yash Raj Films' interim reply read.

YRF declined to comment or give a detailed response to The Quint's queries on the matter.

'Public Should Know': Victims React to Convicts' Notice

On learning about the notice, 55-year-old Hari Bai, a resident of Bhopal and victim of the disaster, told The Quint:

"They killed us. There were faces, people responsible for our sufferings, and now they don't want the public to see what kind of men caused the Bhopal gas tragedy."

Hari Bai and other victims of the gas tragedy are planning to submit a memorandum to the prime minister, seeking compensation and justice. 

(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint)

She added that the incident was a result of the negligence of the authorities of the gas plant – and that the truth should be portrayed as it is. 

"The night the gas leak occurred was my wedding night. And my life has never been the same. Had it not been for the people whose negligence led to the incident, I would have been living a different life."

Hair Bai said that she heard about the web series earlier this year.

"If those who are guilty are trying to sabotage it, we will not sit quietly. The world should know what happened to us, who did it, how they did it."

"Why shouldn't the people, our children, see it? Why shouldn't the people who did it be depicted?" asked 68-year-old Shahzadi.

(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint). 

Sixty-eight-year-old Shahzadi, another victim of the gas leak, said: 

"No one knew when the gas leak happened. Initially, there was a minor scuffle between neighbors, assuming that the excessive use of red chilies was causing irritation. But soon, we got to know what happened. Why shouldn't people, our children, see it? Why shouldn't the people who did it be depicted?"