Government not interested in justice for Bhopal victims: BJP
May 11th, 2011 - 7:11 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea asking for more stringent punishment for the accused in the Bhopal gas tragedy was a “telling comment” on the government’s attitude, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Wednesday.
The opposition party said the government was not interested in giving justice to the victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster.
Referring to US-based former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: “They (government) gave him VIP treatment, gave the government aircraft and allowed him to flee the country.”
Arrested Dec 7, 1984, Anderson was granted bail by a Bhopal court. He flew back to the US and never returned to India to stand trial.
“So the government is not interested to give justice to the Bhopal gas victims and the government is not at all interested to punish the guilty,” Javadekar said.
The Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday was, therefore, a “telling comment on the government’s attitude”, he said.
The apex court Wednesday dismissed the CBI’s petition challenging its 1996 verdict that had diluted charges against the accused - then Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) chairman Keshub Mahindra and six others - for causing death due to negligence.
The Union Carbide disaster, in which poisonous methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the plant on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, killed 3,000 people instantly and 25,000 over the years. It also affected 100,000 people and estimates are that more than 500,000 continue to suffer from ill effects of the gas.
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- Judiciary not with Bhopal victims, CBI failed, say activists - May 11, 2011
- Supreme Court rejects CBI plea to reopen Bhopal case (Second Lead) - May 11, 2011
- SC issues notice to Union Carbide Corporation, Dow Chemicals - Feb 28, 2011
- Window to appeal still open at Bhopal court: CBI - May 11, 2011
- Apex court rejects CBI plea to reopen Bhopal case (Lead) - May 11, 2011
- Bhopal tragedy: Apex court questions CBI for delay in plea - Apr 13, 2011
- Congress should seek apology for Anderson's release: BJP (Lead) - Jun 10, 2010
- Bhopal gas tragedy: SC to hear plea for harsher charges against accused - Apr 13, 2011
- Bhopal gas probe panel invites information - Aug 18, 2011
- 94 percent Bhopal victims not properly compensated: Activists - Dec 20, 2011
- Bhopal's toxic reality - 26 years and still hurting - Dec 01, 2010
Tags: apex, apex court, bharatiya janata party, bhopal gas tragedy, cbi, central bureau of investigation, government aircraft, ill effects, india ltd, industrial disaster, keshub mahindra, methyl isocyanate, negligence, opposition party, prakash, spokesperson, ucil, union carbide disaster, union carbide india, warren anderson