Champa Devi Shukla is an Indian activist from Bhopal. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004, together with Rashida Bee. Shukla and Bee have struggled for justice for those who survived the 1984 Bhopal disaster, when 20,000 people were killed, and organized campaigns and trials against the responsible company and its owners.[1]

Champa Devi Shukla
Born
Bhopal, India
NationalityIndian
AwardsGoldman Environmental Prize (2004)

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

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Champa Devi Shukla, along with Rashida Bee, led an international campaign seeking justice for the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide Gas Tragedy in Bhopal. Starting with protests and rallies in India, Shukla took her fight against Union Carbide Company (UCC) and its partner, Dow Chemicals, to the streets of New York and other American cities. Dow Chemicals is today fighting a series of cases filed by Champa and other protesters.[2][3] In 2002, they organised a 19-day hunger strike in New Delhi, demanding that the former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson face a criminal trial in Bhopal.[4][5]

Awards

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Shukla, along with Bee, was awarded the 2004 Goldman Environmental Prize for bringing the Bhopal disaster to the international center stage.[6]

Personal life

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Shukla works at the Central Government Press, where she is a junior binder.[7] She was married to a government employee who was killed by cancer in 1997. Two of Shukla's sons also died due to health problems as a result of the methyl isocyanate gas leak. Three other children are still alive, but none lead a normal life.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Rashida Bee & Champa Devi Shukla". Goldman Environmental Foundation. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Champa Devi Shukla (India) | WikiPeaceWomen – English". wikipeacewomen.org. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  3. ^ Reuters Editorial. "In Bhopal, two women spark hope for disaster's disabled children". IN. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Rashida Bee of Bhopal, India, fights against the company that devastated her community". Grist. 20 April 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Champa Devi Shukla, Goldman Award Winner and activist from Bhopal, stands vigil at India Gate, New Delhi on the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster". Greenpeace India. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Rashida Bee & Champa Devi Shukla - Goldman Environmental Foundation". Goldman Environmental Foundation. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Their story is the story of Bhopal - Livemint". www.livemint.com. Retrieved 23 December 2017.