Sunil Verma
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Sunil Verma (1972 − 16 August 2006), himself a victim, was a campaigner for the rights of victims affected by the
The gas disaster
Born in
He returned to Bhopal a week later to find both his parents, three sisters and two brothers dead. His two younger siblings, a sister aged 10 and a brother of two-and-half, were the only other survivors. Relatives took the children to
Activism
He was chosen to lay the foundation stone for the first People's Clinic in Bhopal for the gas victims in June 1985. Children Against Carbide mobilized orphans and other victims to demand justice for survivors of the disaster. The issues involved were those of compensation and health.
Verma was also a member of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, and participated in every anniversary rally to mark the disaster, as his health deteriorated.
In February 1989, the Indian government settled out of court with Union Carbide, the latter making a US$470 million payout as part of the deal. Verma traveled to
He worked as a volunteer at the Sambhavna Trust Clinic for survivors and even though he was unemployed at that time, he refused to take money for his work. He also toured India, speaking out for those in need. Along with others orphaned by the gas, Sunil sat on hunger strike in Bhopal for six days in 2003, demanding the jobs that the government had offered years before.
Illness
In March 1997 Sunil started "hearing voices in his head". He also suffered from
He hanged himself in 2006, leaving a note behind that he was committing suicide not because he was mentally unsound but with all his wits about him. After Sunil's death, many people from the Netherlands, the U.S., South Africa and other countries raised funds in his memory to establish a mental health centre.