AVUT marks 13 years of Uphaar fire tragedy

An association for victims of the 1997 Uphaar fire incident that claimed 59 lives marked the 26th anniversary of the tragedy here on Tuesday.

The massive fire had broken out at the Uphaar cinema in south Delhi during the screening of Hindi film ''Border'' on June 13, 1997.

AVUT (Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy) marked the anniversary in solemn remembrance of the lives lost by offering flowers at a memorial built near the ill-fated cinema hall.

''June 13, 2023 marks the twenty-sixth anniversary of the man-mad fire at Uphaar cinema in New Delhi, which took the lives of 59 innocent people,'' AVUT said in a statement.

''These precious lives were lost due to the ''wilful and criminal lack of adherence to fire safety rules, and due to a distressing disregard for safety in public spaces,'' it said.

AVUT deeply mourns the loss of these 59 innocent lives, it said.

''In the twenty-six years, a quarter of a century, since the Uphaar fire tragedy, AVUT has worked tirelessly to seek justice for the killing of the 59 victims, and to hold those responsible for this mass murder accountable,'' the statement said.

In 2017, the Supreme Court had directed real estate tycoons Sushil Ansal and his brother Gopal Ansal (74) to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each.

The top court had then released Sushil Ansal taking into account the period he had already spent in jail.

The Ansal brothers and two others were later held guilty of tampering with the evidence related to the trial.

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