New Delhi:
Perhaps the biggest fallout of this week's verdict in the Bhopal gas tragedy has been the refocusing of attention on Warren Anderson, and the fact that he has not been tried for his role as the senior-most executive of the company that caused the world's biggest industrial disaster. (Read: Who is Warren Anderson?)
The role of past and present Congress governments is now under intense scrutiny for effectively helping Warren Anderson and America's Union Carbide get away from virtually all responsibility in the Bhopal gas leak case. (Read: Bhopal gas verdict: Questions over political culpability)
The party is now scrambling for some sort of face saving measures. On Wednesday, it claimed that the government could still get Warren Anderson.
"Congress is of the firm opinion that the extradition process should be completed and he (Anderson) should be brought back. We hope government will take it to its logical conclusion," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters in New Delhi. (Read: Anderson's extradition process should be completed, says Congress)
But there is no explanation for Arjun Singh's actions in the days after the gas leak.
While he was Chief Minister, Anderson, who was Chief Executive Officer of Union Carbide Corp in 1984, flew into India after the gas leak from a Carbide plant choked Bhopal on the 2-3 of December. 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, who was at the time the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. (Read: Bhopal gas tragedy: Questions over Warren Anderson's getaway)
Now 25 years on, the government officials have begun speaking out.
"The Chief Secretary at that time called me to the room and told me to arrange for the departure of Warren Anderson," said the then collector of Bhopal, Moti Singh.
"Mr Anderson, Keshav Mahindra and BR Gokhle came by service flight from Mumbai to Bhopal and they were taken into our custody at the airport. We put them inside Union Carbide guest house, Shamara Hills, after arrest and at around 2 pm, the Chief Secretary called police chief and me and told us to release Anderson and send him to Delhi by plane. Accordingly we went to that place, did the formalities, and he was released on bail and sent to Delhi by plane, Moti Singh added. (Watch: Bhopal then collector Moti Singh on Anderson)
In the years since then, the government now offers, it has tried to get America to extradite Anderson, who lives in New York state.
On Tuesday, BR Lall, who headed the CBI's investigation into the Bhopal tragedy April 1994 to July 1995, told NDTV that he had received a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, asking him to drop proceedings connected to the extradition request for Anderson. (Read: Was told to go soft on Warren Anderson: Former CBI official)
Not true, says K Vijaya Rama Rao, who was the Director of the CBI at that time. "At no stage... neither the MEA nor the CBI... gave up efforts to extradite Anderson. MEA is sharing with us their difficulties which are very simple that is the unwillingness of US to extradite him to India."
Reacting to the issue, the External Affairs Ministry today said that it has time and again requested for Anderson extradition, which has been turned down by the US for want of more "evidential links". (Read: US had rejected Anderson extradition plea, says ministry)
Another face saving measure from the government: It emerged today that the government has changed the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal with a new chair and a new mandate.
Home Minister P Chidambaram will head the reconstituted panel which was earlier having Arjun Singh at the helm. Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh when the tragedy took place in 1984, is no longer in the government.
Other members of the panel GoM are Ghulam Nabi Azad, M Veerappa Moily, S Jaipal Reddy, Kamal Nath, Selja, M K Alagiri, Prithviraj Chavan and Jairam Ramesh, sources said. Madhya Pradesh Minister in-charge of rehabilitation will be a permanent invitee, they said.
But will that be enough to fend of charges of culpability? (With PTI inputs)
The role of past and present Congress governments is now under intense scrutiny for effectively helping Warren Anderson and America's Union Carbide get away from virtually all responsibility in the Bhopal gas leak case. (Read: Bhopal gas verdict: Questions over political culpability)
The party is now scrambling for some sort of face saving measures. On Wednesday, it claimed that the government could still get Warren Anderson.
"Congress is of the firm opinion that the extradition process should be completed and he (Anderson) should be brought back. We hope government will take it to its logical conclusion," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters in New Delhi. (Read: Anderson's extradition process should be completed, says Congress)
But there is no explanation for Arjun Singh's actions in the days after the gas leak.
While he was Chief Minister, Anderson, who was Chief Executive Officer of Union Carbide Corp in 1984, flew into India after the gas leak from a Carbide plant choked Bhopal on the 2-3 of December. 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, who was at the time the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. (Read: Bhopal gas tragedy: Questions over Warren Anderson's getaway)
Now 25 years on, the government officials have begun speaking out.
"The Chief Secretary at that time called me to the room and told me to arrange for the departure of Warren Anderson," said the then collector of Bhopal, Moti Singh.
"Mr Anderson, Keshav Mahindra and BR Gokhle came by service flight from Mumbai to Bhopal and they were taken into our custody at the airport. We put them inside Union Carbide guest house, Shamara Hills, after arrest and at around 2 pm, the Chief Secretary called police chief and me and told us to release Anderson and send him to Delhi by plane. Accordingly we went to that place, did the formalities, and he was released on bail and sent to Delhi by plane, Moti Singh added. (Watch: Bhopal then collector Moti Singh on Anderson)
In the years since then, the government now offers, it has tried to get America to extradite Anderson, who lives in New York state.
On Tuesday, BR Lall, who headed the CBI's investigation into the Bhopal tragedy April 1994 to July 1995, told NDTV that he had received a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, asking him to drop proceedings connected to the extradition request for Anderson. (Read: Was told to go soft on Warren Anderson: Former CBI official)
Not true, says K Vijaya Rama Rao, who was the Director of the CBI at that time. "At no stage... neither the MEA nor the CBI... gave up efforts to extradite Anderson. MEA is sharing with us their difficulties which are very simple that is the unwillingness of US to extradite him to India."
Reacting to the issue, the External Affairs Ministry today said that it has time and again requested for Anderson extradition, which has been turned down by the US for want of more "evidential links". (Read: US had rejected Anderson extradition plea, says ministry)
Another face saving measure from the government: It emerged today that the government has changed the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal with a new chair and a new mandate.
Home Minister P Chidambaram will head the reconstituted panel which was earlier having Arjun Singh at the helm. Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh when the tragedy took place in 1984, is no longer in the government.
Other members of the panel GoM are Ghulam Nabi Azad, M Veerappa Moily, S Jaipal Reddy, Kamal Nath, Selja, M K Alagiri, Prithviraj Chavan and Jairam Ramesh, sources said. Madhya Pradesh Minister in-charge of rehabilitation will be a permanent invitee, they said.
But will that be enough to fend of charges of culpability? (With PTI inputs)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
