Protestors burn Arjun Singh's effigy in Bhopal

Bhopal, June 11 (ANI): The protestors here burnt effigies of veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Arjun Singh accusing him of having helped former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson leaving the country four days after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was an industrial catastrophe that occurred on the night of December 3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant.

"The politicians of Congress party helped Anderson escape. Arjun Singh was the Chief Minister then and he helped Anderson get on a plane early morning the very next day. The main culprit is Arjun Singh. A man, who commits a small crime is given a lot of punishment, but Anderson, who killed 25,000 people has been conveniently let off," said Hifzul Rehman, a protestor.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written a letter to Arjun Singh seeking an explanation for the escape of Anderson, in connection with the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

In the letter, Chouhan asked Singh to reveal the person responsible for facilitating the safe passage for Anderson days after the Bhopal gas leak.

On Monday, a District Magistrate's Court in Bhopal had convicted all eight accused on grounds of negligence under Section 304 (a) for the tragedy.

The court also granted bail to seven of the eight accused and released them on submission of a bond and a surety of Rs 25,000 each.

The eight accused are Keshub Mahendra, Vijay Gokhle, Kishore Kamdar, J Mukund, S P Choudhary, K V Shetty and S I Qureshi and R B Roy Choudhary.

Out of the accused R B Roy Choudhary, then former Assistant Works Manager Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL), Mumbai, died during the trial.

Anderson, the chairman of Union Carbide Worldwide, has been designated an absconder. (ANI)