BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): The gas victims on Thursday accused Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of applying different yard sticks to Bollywood actor Sushant Singh suicide case and making Dow Chemicals appear in trial court here under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).
The treaty provides for Indian government (CBI & Ministry of Home Affairs) to ask US agencies (Dept of Justice) to ensure that notices that are served.
In November 2021, CBI reached out to US authorities and sought assistance under the MLAT in retrieving deleted data from email and social media accounts of actor Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case.
The CBI failed to make Dow Chemicals appear in the ongoing criminal proceedings in Bhopal District Court despite six summons issued by the Court since 2014. ìSo, why this discrimination?î the gas victims asked.
In 2001, The Dow Chemical Company (TDCC), USA, took over Union Carbide. As per Indian and the US law, along with the assets of Union Carbide, Dow Chemical also took over civil, criminal and environmental liabilities of Union Carbide in Bhopal.
From 2014-2019, the Bhopal district court issued five summons to The Dow Chemical Company to produce the proclaimed absconder accused for the criminal trial of December 1984 Bhopal disaster. These notices were issued under MLAT. In the last 7 years, Dow Chemical repeatedly ignored the notices of Bhopal District court and CBI has shown a spineless response in making Dow Chemical obey Indian laws .
ìWe hope that our Prime Minister instructs CBI to go hard against this company, which is sheltering killers. He has spoken about Bhopal gas victims not getting justice under the Congress regime but the current BJP regime has done everything in its power to protect interest of killer corporation,î said Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action.
Through the campaign - Bhopal Disaster: 37 years, 37 questions - the organisations wish to highlight urgent concerns regarding compensation, criminal justice, medical, economic and social rehabilitation and environmental remediation of polluted lands that need to be addressed to stop the ongoing disaster.
