I lost my eyes, the world moved on but we didn't', victim Santosh still awaits justice:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Nearly 40 years have passed since the Bhopal gas tragedy, but its victims still await justice. One of them is 61-year-old Santosh Kulkarni, who stands silently outside the Gajanan Maharaj Temple on Bhagat Singh Road, near Tilak Road in Dombivali.

Some locals recognize him. Some offer him water. Some stop to listen. Most pass by, unaware of his history. Wandering from door to door, this soft-spoken, dark-glassed man, Santosh, is a survivor of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, awaiting justice.

Originally from Pune, Santosh was just 20 years old when he was sent to Bhopal on a short-term contract as an electrician in late November 1984, just days before disaster struck.

He said that night took everything from him. "I couldn't breathe, I was vomiting, my eyes were burning. Within hours, I lost my sight forever." After the deadly methyl isocyanate gas leak from the Union Carbide factory, his contractor immediately brought him to Pune and admitted him to a government hospital. The doctors said he would recover. But he never saw light again.

Santosh now lives in a simple room in Khardi, near Kasara, which a businessman gave him on the condition of anonymity. Santosh says the businessman told him he could stay, but never reveal his name. He saved his life. Santosh now lives with his sister Sarita and brother-in-law Ramesh Nimbalkar, who are also elderly. The couple moved here from Pune eight months ago after Santosh's mother passed away.

Santosh says, "I don't go there to beg, but to show off to people. If I sit at home, it's as if I'm dead."

Bank employee Sanjay Sherlekar has been observing Santosh for years. He says, "He always stays in the same place. Sometimes I give him food, sometimes money. He never begs. He just... stays there. He accepts whatever people give him. People never give him stale food. It's always fresh." He adds, “Whoever helps him, he respects them.”

The Bhopal gas tragedy officially claimed thousands of lives, and many more suffered long-term health problems: blindness, lung damage, cancer, and congenital deformities. Survivors like Santosh have waited decades for compensation and proper assistance.

Santosh says, “I did not receive any special compensation for many years, not even a disability certificate. Only kind-hearted people helped me survive.”

In 2010, eight defendants were sentenced to just two years in prison. All were released on bail. Victims' groups called this a "travesty of justice."

Despite his struggles, Santosh lives a regular and faithful life. A devout Brahmin, he still wakes up at 3:30 a.m. to pray before catching his morning train.

"I studied until the ninth grade. I trained as an electrician. I wanted to work hard and live with dignity. I never imagined my life would become a waiting room for justice," said Santosh. Santosh isn't looking for mercy, but for possibility.

“If any organisation can help me start a small business in Khardi, it will help not only me but also my sister and brother-in-law. We are old, but we want to live with dignity,” he says.

Efforts are emerging at the local level. When contacted, Hema Mumbarkar, assistant commissioner of the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation, said, “I will try to help. I will also speak to the Dombivali Rotary Club for satisfaction.”

"We will evaluate what kind of work he can do and discuss it with our members. We want to help in a way that is sustainable," said Rotarian Snehal Shinde.

In the end, Santosh says, "I don't want charity. I just want people to remember that we're still here, waiting. Not for charity, but for respect. For justice."

Even after 40 years, Santosh Kulkarni is waiting – not in anger, but in the quiet hope that somewhere, there will be someone who cares enough about him not to turn a blind eye.