Left demands justice for Bhopal gas tragedy victims

Coinciding with the US President Barack Obama’s visit to India, hundreds of Left activists hit the streets here as part of a countrywide protest to demand justice for Bhopal gas tragedy victims. Shouting slogans and carrying placards in support of their demands, the protesters led by leaders of CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP marched from near Lenin’s statue to the nearby American Centre where a tight security was in place.

“The Left parties want justice for the Bhopal victims...Dow Chemicals should pay for the damages and for the clean-up of the factory site. We also want the US to extradite Warren Anderson to India to face trial,” CPI(M) state secretariat member and secretary of the party Kolkata district committee Raghunath Kushari said.

He said the US is pressurising India to adopt policies detrimental to the country’s interest. “The US is aggressively pressurising the government to adopt economic policies which are detrimental to people in the name of a strategic alliance,” Kushari said.