April 8, 2007
BOSTON
Protesters, including members of the group Advocacy International and students from MIT and Tufts University , gathered outside the Taj Boston hotel yesterday afternoon, saying the hotel's parent company is helping Dow Chemical to avoid responsibility in the aftermath of a major 1984 chemical release that is tainting drinking water in Bhopal, India. The Taj is owned by the Tata Group, a major Indian conglomerate that protesters say is lobbying the Indian government on behalf of Dow. Dow acquired Union Carbide, the company responsible for the Bhopal episode, in 1999. A spokeswoman for the Tata Group didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.