A group of lawmakers in India's state of Madhya Pradesh staged a demonstration that resulted in the adjournment of the state legislature. They accused the opposition party for covering up a deadly gas leak incident in Bhopal in 1984.

The state legislative assembly in Bhopal witnessed a unique event on Monday. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, staged a demonstration, resulting in the adjournment of the house.

The BJP accused the Congress party of aiding Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide, to flee back to the U.S. The company is allegedly responsible for a gas leak incident at its plant in Bhopal which claimed thousands of lives in 1984.

[Vishwas Sarang, BJP Provincial Lawmaker, Bhopal]: (male, Hindi)
“65 million commoners of Madhya Pradesh want to know how Warren Anderson escaped from India. When were the charges against Warren Anderson dropped? Why are the Congress party leaders quiet?”

The lawmakers expressed their solidarity with the victims and demanded the early arrest and extradition of Warren Anderson.

[Girija Shankar Sharma, BJP Provincial Lawmaker, Bhopal]: (male? Hindi)
"Gas leak tragedy in which over fifteen thousand people died, how come the accused got bail and the government had no idea about it? It is really a matter of concern and commoners have rights to know about it."

The lawmakers of the Congress party saw the demonstration as non-democratic.

[Rakesh Singh Chaudhary, Provincial Lawmaker, Congress Party]: (gender unknown, Hindi)
"Ruling party members adjourned the state assembly during zero hour session, though zero hour is meant for opposition to lodge their objections. This is non-democratic functioning by the BJP.”

According to government sources, around 3,500 people died immediately due to the gas leak, but social activists say the actual figure reached 25,000 in the years that followed.