Bhopal advocates denounce Indian government back room dealing with Dow Chemical
Aug 13 2007 -- Huge banners and loud protest-slogans rocked the Indian government
building during rush hour Friday evening. If you guessed the location
was Singur, Delhi or Narmada valley, you'd be surprised – it is
Washington, DC. The Target: Indian Embassy in the United States
Volunteers of Association for India's Development (AID), and supporters
of International Coalition for Justice in Bhopal, ICJB, used 18-foot
high banners and placards to protest the Indian
Government's unjust and callous attitude in pursuing a possible
out-of-court settlement which will clear Dow Chemical Corporation
regarding the criminal and civil cases it faces in Bhopal. Dow was asked to make a deposit of 100 crore rupees or about 25
million dollars toward the cost of the site clean up, by the Madhya Pradesh
High Court. It has not done this so far. Read More
Dow is the present owner of Union Carbide, responsible for 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy, and extensive and egregious contamination of land and water upon which an estimated 25,000 people rely. The Cabinet Ministers are seeking to clear Dow of liability for cleaning up the contaminated site – Dow has been asked to make a deposit of 100 crore rupees or about 22 million dollars on the cost of the site clean up in the Madhya Pradesh High Court
As per reports in the Economic Times and the Times of India, PM office has asked a group of cabinet ministers to look at the possibility of an out of court settlement and directed the Chemical Ministry to work with the Law Ministry to find a solution. This action is believed to be a result of pressure from Dow Chemical, the US Government and members of the US-India CEO forum to help Dow invest freely in India. Advocates say that Dow is effectively harboring a fugitive from justice , having successfully avoided presenting Union Carbide to face criminal charges in Indian court for the last 6 years, while Union Carbide has been declared an absconder. Survivors and grassroots advocates have vowed to block any expansion of Dow's business until it deals with the Bhopal issue.
Protestors on Friday claimed that Indian Ambassador to the US, Ronen Sen, is favoring the settlement idea and supporting Dow Chemical against the interest s of Bhopalis. It was earlier revealed through a Right To Information petition filed by the activists that Ambassador has forwarded a letter from Dow Chemical 's CEO to the Prime Minister's Office asking the PM to find some way to help Dow invest without accepting any liability for Bhopal.
"It is widely believed that NRIs in US are helping the Government to get more foreign investments. At the same time, it should be noted that they also want the companies entering India to act responsibly and be prepared to face legal procedures in case of any such tragedies. Doing out-of-court settlement with DOW will only give impression that Indian Government is giving a free hand to all foreign companies and we should not let that happen" said Lakshmi Gorrepati, Coordinator of the DC chapter of AID and a Doctorate student in University of Maryland.
Ravi Kuchimanchi & Aravinda Pillalamarri, social activists from India, who are currently visiting US, also participated in the protest and spoke against the unjust way Government is treating this issue. Magsaysay awardee and NAPM leader, Dr. Sandeep Pandey who is also currently visiting, sent in his support for the protest.
In a related event - on Saturday, August 11th the Dalal Foundation is hosting the Mir Zafar awards ceremony to "honor the courage and creativity of 12 eminent individuals in dealing with policy and legal matters concerning the industrial accident in Bhopal," on the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Plessey and the 60th Anniversary of Independence. More information is available at www.bhopal.net.
