Anderson`s escape: PMO has no record of calls from US Govt

Abhishek Shukla
New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) Amidst raging controversy over the
escape of Bhopal Gas leak case accused Warren Anderson,
India's Prime Minister's Office has said it has no records of
phone calls received from any US government official during
the period of his visit to the country in the wake of the
tragedy.
This was stated by the PMO in an RTI reply on the issue.
Information on the issue might have shed some light on the
circumstances of arrival and controversial departure of
Anderson after jumping the bail.
The RTI plea had five questions which included details of
telephonic conversation of the PMO officials with their
counterparts in different countries after the leak of
poisonous gas from the Union Carbide's India unit plant in
Bhopal, capital of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh,
which killed over 15,000 people.
The applicant also sought to know if any calls were made
or received by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from or to
any representative of US government between December 6-8,
1984 - the period of Anderson's visit to the country.
"The applicant sought information relating to phone calls
made/received by the Prime Minister during specified days in
December, 1984. The matter was referred to the office for
inputs. The office has informed that PMO does not have the
information sought by the applicant," Central Public
Information Officer Sanjukta Ray said in her reply.
On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, poisonous
gas Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) leaked from Union Carbide plant in
Bhopal killing over 15,000 people.
Anderson visited the country nearly three days after the
incident and was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police. He was
granted bail by a local court but managed to leave the country
on December 7, 1984 after jumping the bail. He has remained
elusive since then.
"There has been collusion between the two governments from
day one. We do not know if they really do not have the records
or they are using the argument to camouflage the details. It
is an open fact that he has escaped from Bhopal in a state
government plane. He managed to escape from India as well,"
Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group of Information and Action, a
group working for rights of leak victims, said.
She said the disclosure of this information could have
helped in understanding the circumstances in which Anderson
managed to flee.
A trial court in Bhopal recently sentenced the seven
accused under Section 304 A, to a mere two years of
imprisonment. There was no word about Anderson in the
judgement of the court. PTI