Prayer meet on 13th year of Uphaar fire tragedy

Victims of the Uphaar cinema hall fire tragedy will organise a prayer meet here tomorrow to pay homage to the 59 people who died in the incident 13 years ago.

Victims of the Uphaar cinema hall fire tragedy will organise a prayer meet here tomorrow to pay homage to the 59 people who died in the incident 13 years ago.

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"The past 13 years have seen an excruciating legal battle for the relatives of 59 victims of a fire tragedy in the Uphaar cinema on Friday, June 13, 1997," said Neelam Krishnamoorthy, president, Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy.

"The recent fire incidents at Bangalore and Kolkata have proved again that for our policy makers and decision makers, human life is of little value”, said Krishnamoorthy, who lost two children in the fire tragedy.

She expressed disappointment with the judgement of the Delhi High Court in the criminal appeal in which the sentence of the accused were reduced.

The Delhi High Court had on December 19, last year sentenced accused Sushil Ansal, Gopal Ansal and H S Panwar, a former Delhi Fire Service staff to one-year prison term.