A mother’s courageous fight against the system

Amother’s simple question — how her children died — becomes a 26-year-long search for justice. It was clear to Neelam Krishnamoorthy soon after the June 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire took the life of her two children, Unnati (17) and Ujjwal (13), along with that of 57 others, that this disaster was avoidable. If the doors of the theatre had not been locked; if the public announcement system worked; if the emergency lights functioned; if the gangways hadn’t been blocked by extra seats, including a private box for the owners, Gopal and Sushil Ansal; if the manager had, instead of moving cash and cars, alerted the fire service earlier. The list is long and damning.

Trial by Fire, the Netflix series based on Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy’s 2016 book, is about the search for an answer but also answers the question: What does justice look like for ordinary people? A difficult series to watch, nothing prepared me for the raw grief that it quietly unpeels for families who should never have had to be so brave but were.

Some moved on as they picked up the pieces of their lives. Others were ground down by the legal system. But, for the Krishnamoorthys, there was no closure. “You don’t stop being a mother if your children are no longer there,” says Neelam.

Even though the Supreme Court eventually upheld the conviction of the Ansal brothers, Neelam believes that justice eluded her. The court reduced the brothers’ jail time due to their age. Compensation awarded to families was cut from ₹18 lakh for those over 20 years (when they died) to ₹10 lakh. A fine of ₹60 crore for both brothers was for a trauma centre that is nowhere in sight.

Humiliation was constant. In 2007, Neelam complained to the trial court judge about the lewd remarks made against her by Ansal employees, who were then summoned. An apology followed, but only in 2022.

In 2010, Neelam met with the law commission asking for a separate law for manmade disasters that enhanced jail time from the current two years. A report was prepared in 2012. Then, nothing even as other disasters raged: Kumbakonam school, Victoria Park, AMRI hospital, Sum hospital.

How do you keep going in the face of such a system?

“Unstinting support” from Shekhar, who backed her every decision, says Neelam. And an empathetic legal team headed by KTS Tulsi. But in the end, it is a mother’s grit to show up every day, knowing that each day brought a new obstacle.

In January, Unnati’s batch at DPS RK Puram celebrated 25 years since leaving school. Some of her friends came over and presented her parents with a memento. Both the children, like their dad, loved to sing. Ujjwal had an offer to act in a TV serial, but Neelam told him, “There would be time for that later.”

Tragically, there wasn’t.

Namita Bhandare writes on gender The views expressed are personal

HT’s editors offer a book recommendation every Saturday, which provides history, context, and helps understand recent news events

Working a Democratic Constitution: The Indian Experience by American constitutionalist Granville Austin, the authority on Indian constitutional studies. Though somewhat dated, this book provides insights into the working of the Constitution in a young democracy, and the various political changes and crises over four decades.

Working a Democratic Constitution: The Indian Experience

Year: 2003

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