40 years ago July 20, 1986: Khurja blindings
This historical retrospective from 1986 covers the tragic aftermath of a botched eye camp in Khurja, India, alongside geopolitical updates from the era. It highlights the boycott of the Commonwealth Games by African nations and diplomatic developments between Pakistan, the US, and China.
Why it matters
The article provides a snapshot of 1980s geopolitical tensions and public health failures, serving as a historical record of significant international events.
Chandravati, who was born with a defective right eye, lost her left eye, too, when she was operated upon for cataract at an eye camp in Khurja on April 21. For almost three months now, Chandravati, a 50-year-old widow, has been confined to her mud house in Khurja’s Gouri Shankar Ki Press area. Most of the time, she keeps sobbing and curses that fateful Monday. “I walked to the Aggarwal Dharmshala for the operation,” she recalled. “And within 15 minutes they sent me home blinded for life.” In Khurja’s mohallas and dingv lanes, where one has to hold one’s breath to escape the stench from overflowing open drains, one can meet dozens of victims of the April 21 eve camp disaster.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in