Bhopal gas tragedy: Dow chemicals summoned by local court

Bhopal: A local court issued summons to Dow Chemicals here today in connection with the 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy case on after a petition filed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) fighting for the rights of poison gas affected victims. The summons was issued by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Pankaj Singh Maheshwari on the petition filed by the Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) and other NGOs fighting for the rights of poison gas victims. The petition was filed to seeking to force Dow Chemicals to admit its alleged criminal liability in the case since Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the multinational chemical major. BGIA’s Rachna Dhingra said Dow Chemicals would have to appear in court on November 14, which is the next date of hearing. [caption id=“attachment_143447” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The underground three-flanged stainless steel tank (lower left foreground) at Union Carbide’s Bhopal factory from which poison gas leaked. Reuters[/caption] The court has also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure that summons is served to Dow Chemicals in the United States of America through the Union Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, a release issued by Amnesty International from its London office said “the time has come for Dow Chemicals to appear in an Indian court and account for the failure of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Union Carbide, to respond to criminal charges against it”. Quoting Amnesty International’s Director for Global Issues Audrey Gaughran, the release said that “refusing to comply with the court’s summons would be to treat the Indian justice system with contempt, undermining Dow’s credibility as an investor in India”. For 13 years, the US multinational chemical giant Dow Chemicals has denied it had any responsibility towards victims and survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984. In 2001, Dow Chemicals acquired Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), the US-based multinational which used to be majority owner of the company that operated the plant during the time of the gas leak. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the world’s worst industrial disaster which killed an estimated 22,000 people, after the poisonous methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from UCC’s Bhopal plant. It also exposed more than 570,000 people to damaging levels of toxic gas. Many people who were exposed to the gas in Bhopal continue to suffer from serious health problems. Pollution from the abandoned site has contaminated local water supply and continues to pose a threat to the health of surrounding communities. PTI