Having escaped the Uphaar fire without a hair singed, it is out of place for me to go down memory lane 18 years later to recount what I recall of that Friday the 13th of June 1997.
But recount I must. If only to emphasise one fact: It was technically a “minor” fire that left 59 dead because of monumental negligence on the part of the property owners and licensing agencies.
The film was past its halfway point. People had just about settled back into their places after the interval when up in the box we heard some commotion down in what back then used to be called front and rear stalls.
As people in the box also started leaving – though not quite sure why – curiosity got the better of me and I decided to stay back and figure out what was going on. All I could see down below was people running out of the main hall. There was no sign of a fire; not even smoke.
One of the staff members saw me lingering in the box and asked me to leave. I did, but reluctantly. After all, I did have what was a vantage point for a reporter. As I stepped out of the enclosure into the corridor, pitch darkness enveloped me. Someone opened a door and as I headed towards it – drawn by a draft and some light – a voice told me to follow him and I did into a room with a window that opened onto a ledge from where people walked across to the adjacent building and to safety.
That’s all I recall of the details. But even through the cries of panic of people trying to climb out of windows – with the help of rickety ladders and holding on to wires and cables strewn across most terraces – I saw no fire. Smoke, yes, but no flames. And, still 59 people died. Thanks to wilful violation of rules by the Ansals. And, despite the outrage that followed, they will now walk free. So much for collective conscience!
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