By IANS
New Delhi : Standing in front of the deserted Uphaar cinema hall, Balbinder – a 40-something worker at a nearby sweet shop who had witnessed the inferno at the theatre 10 years ago – was dumbstruck at the verdict of a Delhi court Tuesday.
“After a wait of 10 long years, if all that the accused gets is a mere two years of imprisonment, then I have absolutely no words to say anything. For a heinous crime, to be responsible for the death of so many innocent people, nothing but life imprisonment should be the punishment,” Balbinder told IANS.
While all the 12 accused have been convicted in the case, Uphaar owners Gopal and Sushil Ansal have been charged under sections that carry a maximum punishment of two years in jail.
Balbinder remembered with a shudder that day when 59 people were burnt alive in the fire.
Looking at the towering cinema hall building, with its paint peeling off, windows broken and many walls still charred – a reminder of the horrible day – Balbinder said he was busy working in the ‘Evergreen Sweet House’, one of the well-known sweet shops in the south Delhi, when the tragedy happened.
“Sometime in the afternoon, we suddenly heard a hue and cry. Somebody rushed to say there was a fire in Uphaar cinema. We all left our work and ran to help…our manager’s daughter had also gone to watch the movie, ‘Border’, in the hall and we were hoping for the best,” Balbinder said.
Taking a pause, he continued to speak.
“I still can’t forget that sight. There was a wire hanging from the top of the building and people were struggling to hang by it and slide down. Some people simply broke the windows and jumped.
“No one was allowed to enter the hall but since the authorities knew some of us, we were allowed in. I pulled out some people…rushed them to the awaiting ambulances…Thank god, our manager’s daughter was safe, but not everyone was lucky,” he said.
The families of the deceased are feeling betrayed by Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal’s verdict.
Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who lost both her children that day, said: “We are not satisfied as the Ansal brothers (Gopal and Sushil) are convicted only under Section 304-A (causing death due to negligent act) and will face a maximum punishment of two years in jail.
“We have not fought for 10 long years to bargain for a mere two years’ imprisonment. We will keep fighting until we get justice”.
Near the site of the tragedy, the serenity of the memorial to the deceased, built right in front of the cinema hall by the mourning families, stands somewhat in a sharp contrast to the hall.
While the flowing water in the fountain, which has the sculpture of an angel, and the lush lawns in the memorial give one a peaceful feeling even amid the hustle and bustle of the area, the cinema hall seems haunted.
With a half broken board saying “Daily Four Shows” still up on one side of the hall and pigeons sitting on the wrecked windowpanes, the hall seems frozen in time.
Kalim Ali, who has owned a tiny phone booth adjoining the cinema hall for the past 55 years, said to begin with it’s not fair that the families of the deceased had to wait so long to get justice for their loved ones.
“They don’t deserve it…after going through so much trauma, and such a long wait, if this is what the accused get, then it’s just not fair,” Ali said.
Similarly I.P. Chawla, manager of Canara bank, which is right in front of the memorial, said the long wait was just not fair on the families.
“The judiciary takes so long to give its verdict on the cases, to give a fair trial. There should be speedy trials. The families of the deceased in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy have been through a lot and if the accused gets just a couple of years of imprisonment, then it’s just not right.
“How would the Ansals or any other of the accused have felt if their family or children had been victims of the tragedy?” a bewildered Chawla asked.
Balram, a guard at one of the shops in the area, recalled with horror how hapless parents waited outside the flaming hall, not being allowed in to rescue their children.
“On top of that, these narrow roads made the fire service and ambulances struggle to reach the victims…there was utter mayhem and I pray that nothing like this ever happens again,” he said.