Sambhavna Trust’s FCRA has been finally granted!
The Sambhavna Trust Clinic, that provides free specialized medical care to more than 37,000 survivors of the Bhopal Gas Disaster, had closed down on December 31, 2024.
The clinic ran on small donations from thousands of individual donors from 45 countries but these donations were not reaching the clinic since 2019, because the Indian Home Ministry took too long to re-register Sambhavna Trust under FCRA.
Through this front the patients and staff of the Clinic fought for timely FCRA Registration by the Home Ministry to keep the clinic running with donations from compassionate people worldwide.
The clinic will reopen on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Why Save Sambhavna?
The Sambhavna Trust was formed in 1996 by survivors of the Bhopal Gas Disaster with the help of donations from thousands of individual supporters across the world. It is the only clinic in Bhopal providing long-term, effective, attentive and loving care to the survivors of the poisons of Union Carbide.
The clinic cannot be replaced. Hospitals and clinics set up by the Government for survivors are in dilapidated conditions, having poor facilities and a significant staff crunch. None of them are effective for long-term care of the survivors.
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Forced to Close Down by the Ministry of Home Affairs of India
In October 2019, Sambhavna Trust’s FCRA Registration was abruptly cancelled, its bank account frozen by India’s Home Ministry. It was prohibited from applying for re-registration under FCRA for 3 years and told to pay a fine of about Rs. 18 lakhs. The reason given was that Sambhavna Trust had failed to submit its Annual Report for 2017–18 by March 31, 2019. In fact the MHA portal meant to receive the Annual Report was malfunctioning and it was not possible to upload the Annual Report. Nearly two dozen e-mails were sent to Home Ministry officials with screen shots of messages proving that the MHA portal was malfunctioning, but none of them were even acknowledged.
The Sambhavna Trust had no option but to pay the fine of Rs. 18 lakhs and wait 3 years to apply for re-registration under FCRA.
On February 2, 2023, the Sambhavna Trust filed an application for re-registration under FCRA at the MHA portal. The portal promises a decision within 3 months, but 22 months later 67% of applications have been decided, but ours remains “under process”.
On January 3, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs granted the FCRA status of the Sambhavna Trust.
What patients and staff are doing to keep the clinic open
Campaign News
- Beneficiaries and Staff Celebrate Victory of Their Peaceful Struggle
Beneficiaries and staff of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic today celebrated the victory of their peaceful struggle for granting of re-registration under FCRA to the Sambhavna Trust. Leaders of the Union Carbide Poison Victims Healthcare Rights Front said that this morning… Read more: Beneficiaries and Staff Celebrate Victory of Their Peaceful Struggle - Bhopal gas victims continue their sit in for the second day to save their only hospital for specialised medical care
The sit-in by patients and staff of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic continued on the second day with participation of leaders of organizations of survivors of the Union Carbide disaster. The sit-in at the Clinic’s premises has been organized by the… Read more: Bhopal gas victims continue their sit in for the second day to save their only hospital for specialised medical care - Bhopal Gas Victims start their indefinite sit-in for FCRA registration of Sambhavna Trust
Members of the Union Carbide Poison Victims Healthcare Rights Front started their indefinite sit-in today demanding early FCRA registration of the Sambhavna Trust by the Home Ministry. The Sambhavna Trust Clinic that provides free specialized healthcare to the survivors of… Read more: Bhopal Gas Victims start their indefinite sit-in for FCRA registration of Sambhavna Trust - Members of The Front Announce Peaceful Campaign to Keep the Clinic Open
Addressing a press conference today, members of the recently formed Union Carbide Poison Victims’ Healthcare Rights Front, announced the launch of a peaceful campaign to keep the Sambhavna Clinic open by the beneficiaries and staff of the Clinic after it… Read more: Members of The Front Announce Peaceful Campaign to Keep the Clinic Open
What people are saying
Nathuram Soni, survivor and beneficiary“We could get medicines in government hospitals but where will we get the love and respect that we get here”
This was really a wonderful news. My congratulations to all friends and comrades there. I am aware that your struggles are far from over – the medical support as well as fight for justice would still continue. But it is relaxing to know that one regulatory hurdle of accessing resources has been overcome. What is really admirable and inspiring for me in this story is your uncompromising persistence and staying true to our character of what we do and how we do it. There is a deeper message for civil society in your victory that we must not allow regulatory pressures to change our true nature – this is really what exemplifies civil society resilience.
– Aditya Shrivastav
Lawyer
Sambhavna Trust and the Clinic has continued to contribute not just to the exposure of those guilty of denying justice to the victims, but exposed the second generation being affected because of the toxic effluents, unethical clinical trials in the hospital meant for the victims and also documenting – setting up a museum to remember the individuals, little children, mothers, sisters, husbands, brothers to document one of the biggest industrial disasters. FCRA of several organizations doing meaningful work has been cancelled or in limbo.
It would be extremely sad to see Sambhavna clinic and all the health work being done for the victims be curtailed. I wish something could be done. We who have been witness to Sambhavna’s committed contribution over the years and from the beginning continue to hope that some decent solution will be found, as Sambhavna and the gas victims, as well as their children deserve it.
– Dr. Mira Shiva
Director, Initiative for Health Equity & Society, Young Lives India
Gas disaster victims like me get free treatment at the Sambhavna Clinic through yoga, panchkarma as well as [modern medicine]. We request the government to not let the clinic shutdown – please pay attention to our requests.
– Meena Vishwakarma
Survivor and beneficiary since 1998
My name is Husna Bano and I go to Sambhavna for treatment. The treatment I have received at the clinic has given me a lot of comfort, so I continue to visit Sambhavna regularly. I request [the Home Ministry] to register Sambhavna Clinic’s FCRA.
– Husna Bano
Survivor and beneficiary since 1997