Kin of Uphaar tragedy victims threaten protest, demand new safety law
Family members of the Uphaar fire victims on Friday said they would protest to get justice and demanded a new law for man-made disasters and better safety in public spaces.
According to the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy, this is for the first time in 18 years that families of the victims are going to hold a protest demanding justice for their loved ones.
“Death of 59 people was not an accident but murders caused by wilful negligence of greedy cinema owners, who were hand in glove with corrupt civic authorities. In these 18 years we have never protested publicly but after August 19, 2015, when the Supreme Court rudely destroyed our faith in the legal system, we feel compelled to protest and ask more people to join hands with us,” convener of the association Neelam Krishnamoorthy said.
According to her, all the family members and friends of Uphaar victims will gather with people of Delhi, who have been asked to join the protest through social media.
The association plans to hand over a memorandum to the President’s office asking him to bring a new legislation to deal with man-made disasters. The memorandum will also be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “In the memorandum, we will demand setting up of fast-track courts to deal with man-made disasters. We will also demand to do away with adjournment culture and implement videography of the court proceedings,” Krishnamoorthy said.