Lapierre has got it wrong: Arjun Singh

BHOPAL, SEPT. 8. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Arjun Singh, has termed the narration of certain events relating to him in the book It was five past midnight in Bhopal, as ``incorrect''.

The senior Congress leader said he did not order for barricades against fleeing gas victims as mentioned. He also denied that he had refused to meet the author, Mr. Dominique Lapierre.

Mr. Lapierre had maintained that he tried to contact Mr. Singh thrice while he was working three years ago, but was not able to meet him. ``Every time Mr. Javier Moro, co-author, and I were told that Mr. Singh was not available.''

Asked if Mr. Lapierre would now like to interact with Mr. Singh in the wake of latter's reported remarks that he would have been happy to meet him, he said, ``the story is written. There is no point in meeting now.''

On Mr. Singh's reported comment that it was ``untrue'' that he was not in the city at the time of the tragedy as alleged in the book, Mr. Lapierre said that nowhere in the book was it written that he had fled the town. ``We simply wrote that Mr. Singh was not available at his official residence, police headquarters or at the hospitals carrying out the relief works.''

- UNI

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