Dominique Lapierre visits Bhopal dharna site in Delhi
New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) Celebrated author and Indophile Dominique Lapierre today visited the Bhopal dharna site as the strike by survivors of the gas tragedy and victims of Union Carbide's water contamination in Bhopal entered the 38th day.
Lapierre, who was accompanied by his wife, also named Dominique, and Spanish writer Javier Moro who co-authored the book "Five Minutes Past Midnight in Bhopal" with Lapierre, is in New Delhi to receive the Padma Bhushan tomorrow at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Later, he issued a statement expressing concern over the plight of the agitators and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet the victims of the tragedy.
''I am particularly concerned with the cleaning of the contaminated sites because it is poisoning the ground water. I have myself drunk a glass of the poisoned water, and I suffered an immediate skin rash and throat irritation. This is what the Bhopal children are today condemned to drink. I respectfully urge the Honorable Prime Minister to receive a delegation of Bhopalis now in Delhi for 38 days to assess their situation and meet the victims,'' Mr Lapierre said in his statement.
I had given five years of my life to tell the story of the Bhopal disaster and meet its victims. This was a very precious cause close to my heart, he added.
UNI
AR
GT
BST2021