Bhopal gas case: Former DGP removed from govt post

The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday removed former Director General of Police (DGP) Swaraj Puri, who had played a key role in the release of the former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson, from the State-run Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA).

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, currently on a foreign tour, sent a directive to remove Puri, official sources said on Tuesday.

The demand to remove Puri from Grievances Redressal Authority (GRA) was raised on Monday at a press conference addressed by veteran BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa who said that he would take up the issue with Mr. Chouhan.

The former DGP, as a member of the GRA in the NVDA, enjoyed the status of a Minister of State.

Puri, who was the then SP of Bhopal, along with the then Collector Moti Singh released Anderson soon after his arrest following the Bhopal gas disaster at the behest of their bosses.

Both came under severe criticism for ferrying Anderson in the Collector’s official car on December 7, 1984, with Puri driving the car himself and Singh sitting beside him and Anderson on the back seat.