Bhopal: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has no record of the arrest and release of former Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson and the state plane which flew him back to Delhi.
Official sources said the PMO told the Commission probing the 1984 Bhopal gas leak case that the “desired information was not available.”
The commission, headed by Justice (Retd) S L Kocchar held a hearing on Thursday. Earlier, it had written to the PMO and the Union Home Ministry seeking the information. The Home Ministry has not responded yet.
Justice Kocchar also directed commission officials to write to Union Cabinet Secretariat to find out whether on December 7, 1984 then Cabinet Secretary gave any directions to State Chief Secretary Brahma Swaroop and whether any record of the same was available. The same information has also been sought from Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary's office.
The commission also directed that summons be issued to then Deputy Secretary J.C. Bhatt for certifying entries in the Aviation Department's Movement Register with regard to Anderson's return journey.
Earlier on Thursday, former Chief Minister Arjun Singh's secretary, N.R. Krishnan, deposed before the commission.
On the night of December 2-3, 1984, lethal gas leak from Union Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal killed more than 2,500 people, and injured thousands of others.
It is alleged that Anderson, who visited Bhopal after the disaster, was allowed to return to Delhi by a state plane, from where he left the country for United States, never to return despite warrants by Indian courts.
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