Uphaar fire tragedy: Chole-kulche saved 3 youngsters from certain death

The new Netflix web show, Trial by Fire, which is based on the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy, has generated renewed interest among people to revisit the tragic event of June 13, 1997. On June 13, 1997, halfway through the screening of Hindi film J P Dutta’s epic war film, Border, a fire broke out in Uphaar Cinema, situated in Green Park area. Fifty-nine people had died of asphyxia, while over 100 others were injured in the ensuing stampede.

The two brothers — who owned Uphaar cinemas — had been convicted in the case since an investigation found violation of construction norms, including blocked exits and gateways, had resulted in the asphyxiation of victims who couldn’t escape the fire.

The Federal visited the spot, barely 500 metres from Green Park metro station and 50 metres from the Bharat Petroleum fuel station that lies close to the service lane that joins the Green Park main road. The imposing structure of South Delhi Municipal Corporation looms large over the lane from the other end of the main road.

The lane leading upto the now abandoned Uphaar cinema hall is packed with banks and medical stores. One or two high-end eateries also prominently stand out even as one can spot from a distance the desolate, abandoned building of the cinema theatre with the signboard, ‘Uphaar Grand’.

This area was once filled with auto stores but now except for the odd one, it has been taken over by pharmacies and other commercial establishments. The Federal caught up with three mechanics working at the Khurrana auto stores, one of the shops selling auto parts that continues to function from this Green Park Extension area. They were in their early 20s when the horrific incident happened on a fateful Friday and just missed becoming victims of the fire since they had also planned to watch the movie that day.

Also read: Uphaar fire tragedy: SC dismisses plea to extend jail term for Ansal brothers

“If we had gone inside to purchase the tickets for the Tuesday show, we won’t be standing before you to narrate the incident,” said Narendra Tomar. Further, he recalled, “The incident took place during the second show (3pm- 6pm). Tickets for the first four days had been sold out and as we knew the manager, we were planning to go and get the tickets from the first floor, instead of the ticket counter located in the basement.”

Arvind Yadav remembered, “We will never forget that evening. Janta ne maut ka ticket kharidi thi (‘people had bought tickets to death’). We had reached the main entrance, when suddenly one of my friend, Naseer said he quickly wanted to eat something. Although we were reluctant, we agreed to accompany him to the chole-kulche wala, who had a stall near the theatre. As we began eating, we heard people screaming and saw black smoke engulfing the entire building. We were clueless at the beginning, but soon realised the enormity of the disaster. The sounds coming from the hall was deafening.” Moments before that he was contemplating going in to buy tickets for the film.

The duo (Arvind and Narendra) also pointed out how there has been a significant drop in clientele to their shops after the hall’s closure. “Earlier, people while visiting the theatre would often come and repair their vehicles. We had a steady clientele. The entire lane was filled with shops dealing in auto accessories and motor parts. Those days were quite something. Uphaar was one of the very few good theatres in Delhi,” reminisced the duo.

Also read: 1997 Uphaar cinema fire: Court upholds conviction of Ansal brothers for evidence tampering

Tej Pal Pawar, another mechanic, now in his fifties recalling the incident said, the fire that started from the transformer had engulfed everything in the basement. It started from a spark in the basement, resulting in a blast. The effect of the blast was felt in the AC plants too. The AC units also developed sparks and the black rubber covering the cooling pipe got burnt in the process. This caused the release of toxic black smoke, which ultimately turned fatal, he said.

“Coincidentally, in the movie Border, there is a scene which had heavy bombardment. So initially, people mistook the black smoke engulfing the hall with the on-screen bombardment as people were glued to the plot. By the time they realised that the smoke was due to the fire, it had turned fatal,” recalled Pawar, whose friend had sustained grievous injuries in the tragedy and ultimately lost both his arms.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court granted major relief to the producers of Trial by Fire after it refused to grant an interim stay on the film’s release. Real estate baron Sushil Ansal had filed a plea against the producers and the bench of Justice Yashwant Varma rejected the plea.

With tears streaming down his face, an emotional Pawar asked: “What has really changed in these 25 years? The sight of this abandoned building forces a recollection of the fateful evening. The deafening sound of ambulance and human helplessness are still so vivid. Most of the persons who were directly or indirectly involved in this man-made tragedy are dead. But have we ensured justice for the victims or their families?” The decrepit, run-down Uphaar cinema theatre building still stands as a harsh reminder of the terrible tragedy that can never be erased from the minds of the people of the area.