By IANS,
New Delhi : Families of those killed in a fire in Uphaar cinema in 1997 Monday presented a petition for the formation of a public safety commission to the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Neelam Krishnamurthy, the convenor of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), after meeting Sonia Gandhi said: “She (Sonia Gandhi) appreciated the efforts of the association and has assured us that the petition would be forwarded to the law minister for taking necessary action.”
In its petition AVUT said that such safety commissions exist in countries like Canada, Britain, Japan and South Korea.
“It is by itself a mockery of our legal system that someone who causes the deaths of hundreds and thousands just to satiate his greed, is charged with only rashness and negligence.
“The irony of the situation is that even the said provision is classified as ‘bailable’, meaning thereby that unless an accused is convicted, there is no fear of his being incarcerated, irrespective of the number of deaths he may have caused.” Krishnamurthy said.
On June 13, 1997, a fire broke out during screening of a Hindi film in Uphaar cinema. Fifty nine people, including women and children, died in the accident.