Former Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson is safely ensconced in the US but the man who drove him to the Bhopal airport from where the American made that infamous exit has been punished. It?s unclear why he took to the wheel on December 7, 1984 because Swaraj Puri was then SP of Bhopal, and not an ordinary driver.
On Tuesday, he was sacked as member of the Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA), a post that allowed him to hear complaints of persons affected by projects in the Narmada Valley. He got the post after his retirement as DGP (home guards) in 2007.
Puri?s troubles started after the recent verdict of the CJM and subsequent revelations about Anderson?s infamous escape. But what contributed to Puri?s departure was an old but clear video that showed him at the wheel of an Ambassador with Anderson as passenger.
In the blame game that started after the verdict, the BJP did not want to be seen as soft, especially when it?s going after then Chief Minister Arjun Singh, the Congress and the Gandhi family.
On Monday, the BJP government said it would wait for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to return from his foreign tour and let him decide on the course of action against Puri because he had appointed him.
Former BJP Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa had said he would speak to Chouhan. But the party did not waste time. Gas Tragedy (relief and rehabilitation) minister, who is officiating as chief minister, announced that Puri had been sacked with Chouhan?s sanction.
When contacted, Puri said he had no comment to offer. ?There is a bereavement in the family,? he said, before excusing himself.