 It was exactly three years ago, on June 13,1997, that 30 families of Delhi lost 59 of their loved ones in one of the worst fire tragedies in recent Indian history. The fire broke out in the 24-year-old cinema theatre, Upahaar, in an affluent South Delhi neighbourhood. The theatre was screening a new Hindi film 'Border', based on the 1971 conflict between India and Pakistan. It was a jam-packed matinee show. The time was around 5 pm when dense, black smoke started filling the auditorium.
The smoke had its origin in a fire that had broken out in an electrical transformer in the cinema complex. Smoke from the transformer blaze, fuelled by transformer oil and by the ignition of fuel, tyres and upholstery of parked cars, poured into the theatre and choked the trapped audience. Even before the spectators could realise what had happened and seek an escape route, the theatre had turned into a gas chamber. There was total panic as smoke reduced visibility to zero and blinded those trapped. The terror-stricken audience tried to scramble out in a stampede. Some broke window panes and ventilators to clear the smoke.
Anita Joshua, a reporter of The Hindu, in her first hand account, wrote: "But for the fact that I was accompanied by someone from the management of Upahaar Grand, I would have probably been trapped as badly as were a majority of the 1000-plus strong crowd. He knew his way around the building and he pulled me to safety within 10 minutes."
People tried to go down the two staircases, one of which was around the elevator, but the heat and smoke beat them back. Some sought refuge in toilets and other areas, but soon these 'safe' pockets too were filled with smoke. There was only the terrace to race to, which fortunately proved a safe spot. Fire brigade ladders enabled those there to clamber down to safety. Rescuers said many more could have saved themselves if they had been able to reach the terrace.
Rescuers Risk
 Firemen risked their lives to save those trapped, many of whom wanted to jump off the building in desperation. Delhi's Chief Fire Officer, S K Dheri himself broke a collar-bone and injured his spine in a fall from the first floor during the rescue operations.
Even after the fire was controlled, smoke kept pouring out, making rescue work difficult. Most of the victims were rushed to the nearby Safdarjang Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). A doctor at the AIIMS said most were brought dead. Asphyxiation was the main cause of death. Hospital sources said 91 people were injured.
At 7.15 p.m. that fire personnel declared that the theatre had been completely evacuated. It had taken 48 fire tenders to put out the blaze. It was only after the Upahaar tragedy and the loss of 59 lives that some uncomfortable questions about safety in cinema halls began to be asked. With more such complexes coming up, how safe are the audiences inside? Do the theatres have adequate fire safety measures? If they do, are there adequate, regular safety drills?
 On June 30, 17 days after the fire, 30 of the affected families got together and formed the Association of the Victims of the Upahaar Tragedy (AVUT). They decided that those 59 lives would not have been snuffed out in vain. They wanted to ensure that the Upahaar probe would not peter out like the investigation into the Hotel Siddharth fire in which 37 people died 14 years earlier. They also wanted to ensure that future victims of mass tragedies have a better chance of battling the system.
Every June 13, the Association organises blood donation camps, panel discussions, public awareness programmes and prayer meets. Despite the trauma and the time that has passed, their determination to see that those responsible for the tragedy are punished has not dimmed. But the moot question remains: when will we wake up from our slumber and stop thinking that tragedy will strike only our neighbour and not ourselves?
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