Uphaar victims’ families observe tragedy’s tenth anniversary

New Delhi -- Relatives and family members of the victims of the country’s worst-ever cinema hall fire in Uphaar cinema, held a special prayer today to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragedy.

Relatives performed special fire ritual at a memorial set up near the cinema hall.

The legal battle against the owners of the cinema hall is still dragging on. But the kin of the victims are not prepared to give up their fight against the owners of the cinema hall.

"Similar order came in 2002 but the defence lawyers did not cooperate that time. They said in court last time that they cannot argue in court entire day and cannot argue ten days in a month as well. If they will continue behaving like this it will be very difficult to get the justice. We want justice for our children, we want closure," said Neelam Krishnamoorthy, President of Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy.

Relatives of the victims said that the compensation ordered by the court to the victims would go for construction of a centralised accident trauma centre in the capital's main hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, just 100 metres away from the now defunct Uphaar Cinema Hall.

It was on this day in 1997, 59 people were choked to death when Uphaar cinema in south Delhi caught fire leading to a stampede.

The cinema was engulfed when a generator got overheated bursting in the basement of the building.

Men, women and children all scampered to rush out of the cramped hall with only four exits for an audience of over 500. (ANI)