With the launching of a book titled Trial by Fire, the parents of two of the 59 victims of 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy have highlighted the need for accountability and swift justice.
The book details the suffering of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorty while talking about their long struggle for justice.
“It is not just the story of our personal tragedy, but it also reveals the tragedy of the system that permits wealthy and powerful convicts responsible for heinous crimes to walk free by manipulating circumstances to suit their personal ends,” said Neelam at the launch of the book on Wednesday evening.
“For us, the launch of the book indeed is of great significance but not necessarily one of celebration. After all, it is a book that tells the stories of Indian tragedies,” she added.
While talking about the painful journey that they faced during their long quest for justice, Neelam said, “In 1997, as we struggled to come to terms with the loss of our children (Unnati and Ujjwal), we decided to fight a legal battle to ensure justice for them, believing that those responsible for the death of innocent people will be punished. We had no idea that 19 years down the line, we will be waiting for some semblance of justice or that we will pen a book.”
In August, real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal escaped being jailed in connection with the tragedy with the Supreme Court asking them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each and restricting their jail term to the period already undergone by them.
The Krishnamoorthys say that their book and their legal battle are not acts of vengeance but an attempt to highlight the need for security in public places.
“The legal battle that we fight and the penning of the book are not the real acts of vengeance as some legal luminaries representing the convicts and Ansal brothers would like the public to believe. The book has inspired the desire to highlight the need for safety in public places and to warn readers of the many procedures, rules, and regulations that are used to ambush delivery of justice,” she said.
The book talks about how, despite the odds, the Krishnamoorthys plan to continue their battle for justice.
“We do not ask people to read the book to empathise with us but the greater cause that we continue to fight for is that of accountability and of the right to life,” she said.
