Lok Sabha pays tribute to victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki; Sumitra Mahajan says pledge to destroy WMDs must be renewed

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Friday paid tributes to the victims of the World War II atomic bomb attack on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, recalling the attack, said India has always believed in non-violence. She said the pledge to destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) should be renewed.

“Seventy-two years ago, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were attacked with atomic bombs. Thousands were killed, lakhs of people were injured and even today, the residents there are facing the impact of the bomb,” Mahajan said.

“India… has lead the way in maintaining peace and stability. India has always tried to attain peace for all,” she said.

“Let us today reaffirm our pledge to destroy weapons of mass destruction and work towards global peace and brotherhood,” the Speaker added.

Members also observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack.

In the final phase of the war, on 6 August, 1945, US dropped an atomic bomb (Little Boy) on Hiroshima, and three days later a second atomic bomb (Fat Man) was dropped on Nagasaki.

Estimates of total deaths in Hiroshima have generally ranged between 100,000 and 180,000, out of a population of 350,000; while that in Nagasaki have generally ranged between 50,000 and 100,000.