MP: Police Lathicharge Protestors Opposing Shifting Of Toxic Waste From Union Carbide Factory

Protestors in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, were lathi-charged by police for opposing the shifting of toxic waste from Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal.

Police lathi-charged protestors in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar opposing shifting of toxic waste from Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal.

Source : PTI

The police lathi-charged protestors in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar on Friday who were agitating against shifting of toxic waste from Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal.

The protestors are opposing the destruction of the toxic waste in Pithampur fearing adverse effects of the chemicals from the waste.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the toxic waste comprises 60 per cent clay and 40 per cent Naphthol which is not harmful. He further stated that according to scientists, the poison remains active for about 25 years, and this tragedy occurred 40 years ago.

On Thursday, MP minister Kailash Vijayvargiya -- who is the guardian minister of Dhar -- chaired a meeting over the opposition to the disposal. He met public representatives, influential people and experts.

#WATCH Madhya Pradesh | Police use lathi charge to disperse the protestors protesting against shifting of toxic waste from Bhopal's Union Carbide Factory to Dhar's Pithampur pic.twitter.com/IhwDGY3caS

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025

In one of the world's worst industrial disasters, highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas had leaked from Bhopal's Union Carbide pesticide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3.  Around 5,479 persons were killed in the gas leak thousands of others were left with serious, long-term health issues.

Forty years after the tragedy, 337 tons of waste was shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal at a unit in Dhar district.

The toxic waste was transported at around 9 pm on Wednesday in 12 sealed container trucks via a 'green corridor' from Bhopal to Pithampur industrial area, located 250 km away.

Apart from protests by residents, a group of doctors have filed a PIL in the Indore bench of the High Court seeking to halt the disposal on health grounds. 

The disposing of the toxic waste took place after the Madhya Pradesh High Court rebuked the authorities on December 3 for not clearing the factory site in Bhopal despite directions from even the Supreme Court. 

The High Court had set a four-week deadline for the authorities to shift the waste.