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Bhopal[bO´pAl] Pronunciation Key, former principality, Madhya Pradesh state, central India. A region of rolling downs and thickly forested hills, it is predominantly agricultural. Its Buddhist monuments include the famous stupa (3d cent. B.C.) at Sanchi. Bhopal was founded in the early 18th cent. and was ruled from 1844 to 1926 by the begums of Bhopal, famous women leaders. Although the population was mainly Hindu, the princely family was Muslim. Bhopal became part of the state of Madhya Pradesh in 1956.
The city of Bhopal (1991 pop. 1,062,771), the former capital of the principality and now the capital of Madhya Pradesh, was founded in 1728. It is a trade center with manufactures of cotton cloth, jewelry, electrical goods, and chemicals. In Dec., 1984, a cloud of methyl isocynate gas escaped from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. More than 6,400 died (many from the effects several years after the disaster) and 30,000–40,000 were seriously injured in the world's worst chemical disaster. The Indian government sued on behalf of over 500,000 victims and in 1989 settled for $470 million in damages and exempted company employees from criminal prosecution. The Indian judiciary rejected that exemption in 1991, and the company's Indian assets were seized (1992) after its officials failed to appear to face charges.
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