Another June 13, memories haunt Uphaar victims' kin

{image-uphar tragedy_13062008.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, June 13 : Relatives and family members of the victims of the country's worst-ever cinema hall fire in Uphaar cinema in Delhi, held a special prayer meeting today to mark the 11th anniversary of the tragedy.

Relatives, who performed special fire ritual at the memorial set up near the cinema hall, said that they were unsatisfied with the judgment, and the punishment awarded to the guilty. "Eleven years have passed by. I am not sure that we will get justice, nothing has happened yet," said Hansraj, a kin of the victims. Kaushal, another kin of the victims, added, "What kind of justice is this that the people those who are responsible for 59 deaths are being given only two years of punishment? Those who kill an individual get life imprisonment or death sentence. Here 59 people were killed, it was because of their negligence and what is our fault?"

The relatives of the victims were vehement in their assertion that they will not rest before getting justice.

The tragedy took place on June 13, 1997 during the screening of the Hindi film, "Border."

The theatre was engulfed in fire when an overheated generator burst in the basement of the building. Men, women and children all scampered to rush out of the four cinema hall exits.

ANI