Bhopal gas tragedy: Who is Warren Anderson?

Over twenty five years ago, Bhopal was choking on the deadly fumes that had found their way across the city from the Union Carbide Plant. Close to 20,000 people died.

And the man the victims blame for the tragedy is Warren Anderson, whose plant was the source of the deadly Methyl Isocyanate gas.

He was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Yet, just four days after the tragedy, Anderson flew out of Bhopal on the official plane of Arjun Singh.

Anderson, now almost 90 years old, was the Chairman and CEO of Union Carbide when the lethal gas leaked on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

Anderson is believed to have taken key decisions, including a cost-cutting measure that compromised safety at the gas plant. Security precautions too were inadequate. (AP Photo)

After the gas leak, Anderson was arrested and then released on bail by the Madhya Pradesh Police on December 7, 1984. He left India immediately after signing a bond of 25,000 rupees and has refused to return ever since.

He has never appeared in court or even been in India to explain what happened. In 1992, Anderson was declared a fugitive by the Bhopal court for failing to appear for hearings.

Once he was declared absconding, his case was isolated from the case in which eight Indians then employed by Union Carbide have been convicted now.

Victims say that Anderson, as the head of the company, knew that the plant stocked toxic gas within city limits and that it could cause huge damage in case of an accident.

Union Carbide paid compensation that victims have said was grossly inadequate.The Indian government has come in for much criticism over the way it handled the Anderson case.

It took the government almost 19 years to move a formal request for his extradition. It did so in May 2003. (AFP Photo)

In June 2004, the US rejected India's request for the extradition of Anderson saying the request did not "meet requirements of certain provisions" of the bilateral extradition treaty.

In July 2009, an arrest warrant was issued for him after an appeal by a victims' group. The arrest, however, did not take place.(AFP Photo)

Warren Anderson served as Union Carbide CEO till 1986, when he retired. He lives a life of luxury in New York.