Bhopāl

Bhopāl, city in central India, capital of Madhya Pradesh State. It is a railway junction and trade center. The main industries are the manufacture of cotton cloth and jewelry. Bhopāl is the site of the Taj-ul-Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The city has a university, founded in 1970, and an academy of music. From 1723 until 1956 Bhopāl was capital of the former princely state of Bhopāl. In December 1984 deadly methyl isocyanate gas was leaked from a chemical plant in Bhopāl, causing the deaths of more than 3,800 people; it was the worst industrial accident in world history. In 1989, after years of litigation, the United States owners of the plant agreed to pay the Indian government $470 million. In return, the government agreed to drop criminal charges against the company and its former chairman. Population (2001) 1,454,830.