[IMC Bombay] Bombay Protest: Hold Dow Liable for Bhopal

[PUKAR @ IndyMedia]

Hold Dow Liable for Bhopal, Mumbai activists demand

2 September, 2002, MUMBAI - The Government of India should include 
American multinational Dow Chemical in the ongoing criminal case on 
the world's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal in December 1984, 
demanded the National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (Mumbai), NGOs 
and a collective of students associated with the Mumbai Indymedia 
Centre. In a novel protest, activists held banners saying "The road 
to disaster ends here" and "Dow-Carbide liable for Bhopal" along the 
roads leading to the country headquarter of Dow Chemical at Corporate 
Park, Chembur. The protest comes even as multinational corporations 
are engaged in hijacking the Rio+10 World Summit for Sustainable 
Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg by arm- twisting the United 
Nations to avoid framing any legally binding accountability mechanism 
to check corporate crime.

Even today, more than 30 people continue to die every month from 
exposure-induced diseases in Bhopal and over 150,000 were chronically 
ill. "It is an ongoing national disaster and manifestations of new 
diseases such as cancer and birth defects in newborns among the 
exposed population tells us that the tragedy may well continue for 
the next 30 years," said Shweta Narayan from Mumbai-based toxics 
clearinghouse Toxics Link. The activists are confident that the 
criminal fines that can be levied from the company will provide for 
long-term medical and economic rehabilitation of the victims.

On 28 August, the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Bhopal 
rejected the application made by the Government of India to reduce 
criminal charges against former Union Carbide chairman Warren 
Anderson and has upheld the originally framed charges of culpable 
homicide and other serious offences against him. Additionally, the 
court has also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to 
expedite the extradition of Anderson to face trial in India.

While both Anderson and the representative of Union Carbide have been 
absconding from the criminal case for the last several years, the 
situation has taken a new turn following the merger of Carbide with 
Dow Chemical in February 2001. Also, the whereabouts of Anderson 
until now unknown are now fixed. Last week, Greenpeace released a 
video showing Anderson leading a life of luxury in an upmarket 
neighborhood in Hampton, New York.

"The Indian government must now direct the CBI to prosecute Dow 
Chemical that has inherited the criminal liabilities of Union Carbide 
through its merger with the corporation." said advocate Vinod Shetty, 
Mumbai convenor of the National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. 
Citing legal precedents regarding inheritance of criminal liability 
following acquisitions and merger of companies in India, Mr. Shetty 
claimed that there was a clear case of impleading Dow in the case. 
'The CBI was helpless in prosecuting Union Carbide because it had 
sold off its confisicated assets in India but Dow has four 
subsidiaries and substantial assets in this country and hence there 
will be no problem in enforcing criminal judgements against Dow." Mr. 
Shetty said.

PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal
Students Associated with the Bombay Independent Media Centre (IMC)
Greenpeace
CorpWatch India
Toxics Link Mumbai
And numerous other individuals from Mumbai

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Vinod Shetty, National Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, Phone 98205.10146
Shweta Narayanan, Toxics Link Mumbai. Phone 98206.59202, E-Mail: 
tlmumbai@vsnl.com
4th Floor, CVOD Jain School, 84 Samuel Street, Pala Gali, Dongri, 
Mumbai 400 009.

WEB-SITES:
http://www.bhopal.net
http://bombay.indymedia.org
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org

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