New Delhi: Friday 13th June 1997
59 Indians were enjoying the afternoon show of the patriotic movie, ‘Border’, filled with a sense of honor and pride for their country. Little did they know that the authorities which run their country and the judicial system of the same country, will be the reason for their death and then an everlasting grief for their families who were left behind!
The Uphaar Cinema fire, one of the worst fire tragedies in recent Indian history occurred on Friday, 13 June 1997 at Uphaar Cinema, in Green Park, Delhi, during the 3-to-6 pm screening of the movie Border. Trapped inside, 59 people died, mostly due to suffocation, and 103 were seriously injured in the resulting stampede.
Neelam Krishnamoorthy’s two young children were among those 59 unfortunate people. Since then, she has been fighting for justice.
“That tragic day Friday 13th June 1997, started normally. Unnati and Ujjwal were very excited about seeing the much awaited and controversial new movie, Border. Excited as always, they kissed me and said that they would be back home by 7.30 pm……I had got them seats especially on the balcony so that they could watch the film comfortably…..little did I realise that it was the last time I will be seeing them alive.”
-Neelam Krishnamurti ( In her article on NDTV blogs )
The enquiries done by the Law commission of India, the Delhi Fire department, the Naresh Kumar committee, the Dy. commissioner of Police and the CBI found a number of fire code violations including the following:
1) No functional public announcement system (no announcement was made when the fire broke out)
2) No emergency lights, foot lights, exit lights (The cinema hall was in pitch darkness when the fire broke out)
3) Blocked gangways (the hall had made unauthorized extensions and additions to seats)
4) Blocked exits (many exit doors – including the one leading to the terrace – and gates were locked)
5) Unauthorized use of premises (shops were being run from spaces supposed to be empty)
6) Installation and maintenance of the DVA transformer (where the fire had started) – in violation of Indian Electricity Rules (no periodic maintenance, no fire extinguishers, no isolation device, haphazard electrical cables) (Source – Wikipedia)
To fight against this manmade disaster and to avoid more in future the victims’ families formed ‘The Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy’ (AVUT) on 30th, June 1997. For over 18 years the case has seen several twists and turns with hundreds of hearings.
On 19 August 2015, Supreme Court of India fined Ansal brothers, the owners of the cinema hall, 60 Crores but awarded no jail term citing the time already spent by Ansal brothers in jail was enough. The amount will be given to the Delhi government in order to build a trauma centre in the city as absence of a trauma centre during this tragedy was one more reason for the casualties.
The victims’ families are however not at all satisfied with this verdict and have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Delhi to request him to deny the money. (Read the letter here)
It was the Delhi government who was also responsible for this mishap. This verdict is like awarding them Rs.60 crores for what they did. Building a trauma centre or a hospital or any public property is their duty.
Why would the SC relate this to the verdict? Can the rich in our country kill 59 people and set free by paying a compensation? Will money make up to the loss and the mental trauma that the families faced all these years? The SC has considered the age of the accused and the long trials. How fair is it when the accused himself kept delaying the verdict?
AVUT has many such questions for our judiciary!
See the innocent faces of the victims of this fateful day here and decide for yourself, what if one of these faces were your parents or children or a near one? Would you be satisfied with the final verdict by the SC then?
To stand by the families of the victims who are still waiting for the justice please follow The chairman of AVUT and the mother who lost her young children – Neelam Krishnamurti on Twitter (@Neelamshekhar)
