From 3/12 To 9/11: Future of Human Rights?

The death and suffering that continues to unravel in Bhopal 20 years after 1984 and the destruction that unfolded in New York in the space of a few hours in September 2001 symbolise in tragically different ways the state's helplessness. The Indian government's inability to ensure justice to the Bhopal victims, however, appears in stark contrast to the war against terror waged by the US government, ostensibly to ensure a world safe for its citizens, even as it remains oblivious to the rights of other citizens and other sovereign nations. Both tragedies highlight the need, once again, to look beyond the state as the sole guarantor of human rights.