1997 Delhi Uphaar cinema fire: ‘I should have shot the culprits’

‘You’re 13. Time to stop acting like a goofy, carefree, hyper-active kid,’ reads one card standing against a mounted picture of Ujjwal and Unnati as he blows the candles on his cake. It was the last card Neelam and Shekhar gave to their restless son, on August 13, 1996. He died a year later, before turning 13. Unnati’s birthday was on August 30. She was 17 when she died.

Ever since the fire, the Krishnamoorthy household in Kalkaji has seen no celebrations, of any kind. This birthday month, the Krishnamoorthys had hoped they would be able to give their children a birthday present too: justice for them. Instead, the night after the judgment, they sat in the living room, disconsolate. They could not even muster courage to walk into the children’s room, left untouched since Ujjwal and Unnati left that Friday for the film Border at Uphaar. “What would I tell them? That we have failed as parents?” asks Neelam.

Soon after the June 13, 1997, fire, Neelam and Shekhar met advocate KTS Tulsi, who suggested they organise themselves into an association of victims. Thus was formed the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy, spearheaded by Neelam.

Neelam and Shekhar mastered the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Penal Code, read voluminous court papers. “For 18 years, this has been our life. We have no no friends, no family, no occasions. Can one ever stop being a mother just because the children are no more?”

Some suggested they “start a new family”. Neelam and Shekhar knew they could never let go of the memories. “Our children were not toys that if they are broken, we get new ones,” Shekhar says.

“A harsh punishment would not bring a smile to our face, but would set an example. But yes, when one person dies, it is murder. When hundreds die, it is mere statistics,” he continues.

Even as he prepares to leave for a meeting with the lawyers for a review petition, he adds, “Will the same bench of judges, who gave the judgment, change their mind, that too in a matter of a few days?”

Perhaps their best chance is the President, Neelam adds sharply. “We will appeal to him for euthanasia. So that we can die a dignified death.”

1997 Delhi Uphaar cinema fire:

> No. of victims: 59

> No. of years: 18

> No. of court hearings: 4,000 approximately

> Compensation per victim: Rs 10 lakh for adults, Rs 7.5 lakh for those below 20 years

> Charges against accused/convicted: IPC sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others)