BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY: THE ESCAPE OF WARREN ANDRESON FROM INDIA
One of the worst industrial accidents that has ever happened in the world is Bhopal Gas Tragedy. During December 1984 night a poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal Madhya Pradesh. The leaking gas caused thousands of deaths and severe health conditions to many others. A US firm called Union Carbide Corporation possessed the factory where Warren Anderson acted as its CEO by then.
Anderson went straight to India after the calamity, and Anderson was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police for negligence causing deaths. Nevertheless, they released him some hours later on bail and he immediately left India. His sudden departure generated a lot of debate among many people who viewed it as a failure to deliver justice to victims. It is believed that political and diplomatic pressure also contributed towards helping Anderson escape so easily.
He never made any attempts to go back to India in order to face the charges. The Indian courts endeavoured to summon him multiple times, even declaring him an absconder but Anderson spent his remaining days living in America where he was not put on trial for any crimes committed within India’s jurisdiction. His flight revealed loopholes in the Indian legal system especially when dealing with influential corporations. To date, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victimizes still feel agonizingly incomplete about how Andersen managed to run away without ever being tried.
