Uphaar tragedy: Ansals to serve two years in Tihar jail

New Delhi, Sep 12: Real estate magnates, Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal accused in the 1997 Uphaar Theatre fire tragedy, that claimed 59 lives, were cancelled the granted bail by the Supreme Court on the grounds of 'tampering with evidence' and were sent to Tihar jail for two year imprisonment on Thursday, Sep 11.

The Ansal brothers who enjoyed the luxury of sophisticated living will now have to share a dingy, high security jail of Delhi. The brothers were put in the same cell of Jail No 2 with another inmate. As per jail rules, inmates are put in cells according to the alphabets of their names.

"Since they are blood relations, we have lodged them in the same cell after a brief medical examination," a jail official told. According to jail officials, affluent inmates always face a risk from gangs in the jail.

"We are concerned about the security of the Ansals and will do every possible thing to protect them from any harm and threat," the official said.

Asked what work would be assigned to the Ansals in jail, an official said on condition of strict anonymity: "It is very unlikely that they would be asked to perform any work in the jail like other inmates."

"Their taking up any work actually depends on their age and medical fitness. If they declare that they are suffering from any aliment they won't be asked to do anything," said the official.

"We actually don't think that the Ansal brothers would face any difficulty inside the prison because of their wealth," the official added.

OneIndia News