Speaking about the book, Neelam said that it was meant to inform the ordinary citizen about just what it means to stand up against the rich and powerful.
It has been 19 years but Neelam, 47 and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, 48, remembers that day like it was yesterday. The couple, who lost their children Unnati, 17, and Ujjwal, 13, in the infamous Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy in 1997, are still coming to terms with their loss.
But this brave couple are not allowing the tragedy to stand in the way of doing what they believe is right. Their book Trial By Fire recently released on November 9 in the Capital is a harrowing account of their journey to justice. Through this book, Neelam and Shekhar bring their children back to life and speak of the long endless struggle they faced in trying to get the Ansal brothers—owners of the Uphaar cinema, convicted.
Speaking about the book, Neelam said that it was meant to inform the ordinary citizen about just what it means to stand up against the rich and powerful. "I have been threatened, humiliated, victimised, and even called insane by the opposing counsel, but I stood my ground and continued the fight for justice," she said. But, Neelam adds, the idea behind the book was to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again, to anyone, and that was to ensure that fire safety in public places remains paramount in the public's mind.
"At the end, 18 years after the tragedy, the Ansals were ordered to pay a mere Rs 6.5 crore as total compensation to all the families of the victims. They were convicted of mere "criminal negligence" and were ordered to pay another Rs 60 crore to the Delhi government which would be used to build a trauma centre in lieu of a prison sentence," Neelam said. "My children's killers were not punished enough and we felt betrayed by the judiciary. Justice was definitely denied," she added.
Neelam says, "Today, many people come up to me and seek advice on how best to tackle the justice system. I tell them, if possible take the money and compromise. You will not get justice from this system unless you are rich and powerful." Neelam says: "There is a sequel which will be published after both of us die. We won't have to worry about legal issues, or defamation cases, or any such nonsense then."
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