Exactly one year after the catastrophic Bhopal gas tragedy, India's capital faced its own terrifying brush with a major industrial leak. On December 5, 1985, tonnes of toxic sulphuric acid fumes engulfed large parts of Delhi, spreading irritation and panic among thousands of residents and casting a grim shadow over the city.
A Capital Choked by Toxic Clouds
The crisis began when a storage tank collapsed at the Shriram Foods and Fertiliser Industries factory located on New Rohtak Road. The failure released a massive volume of sulphuric acid fumes into the atmosphere. Giant clouds of the dangerous gas rolled south and east, sweeping over North Delhi, penetrating the historic walled city, and reaching areas in the east. The scale of the leak was such that it seemed the entire capital would choke, creating a scene of widespread public distress and fear.
Official Response and Arrests
In swift reaction to the public emergency, the then Lieutenant Governor, H L Kapoor, ordered a high-level inquiry. He announced that a team of four experts would investigate the precise causes of the leak. The probe's mandate was to determine why the incident occurred, identify preventive measures that should have been in place, and recommend steps to ensure such accidents do not happen again.
On the legal front, the police took action against the plant's management. Three senior executives were arrested in connection with the leak. Those held included V D Sharma (General Manager), I M Kaul (Plant Manager), and Y C Jain (Plant Engineer). They were charged under Sections 336 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code for causing hurt by acts endangering life or personal safety of others due to negligence. The Police Chief, Ved Marwah, confirmed the arrests. However, the three officials were later released on bail.
A Sombre Context and Lasting Impact
The timing of the Delhi gas leak was particularly alarming, coming merely a day after the first anniversary of the Bhopal disaster of December 1984. This juxtaposition heightened public anxiety and raised urgent questions about industrial safety standards and enforcement in the country. The incident forced a city and a nation, still raw from the memory of Bhopal, to confront the persistent dangers posed by hazardous industries operating near populated areas.
While the Delhi leak did not result in the same staggering loss of life as Bhopal, it served as a severe warning. It underscored the critical need for rigorous safety protocols, regular inspections of industrial units storing hazardous materials, and robust disaster preparedness plans for urban centres. The probe ordered by the L-G was a direct institutional response to these pressing concerns, aiming to pinpoint failures and prevent future recurrences.
