Uphaar fire tragedy: Capt Bhinder who turned saviour remembered on 25th death anniv

Amritsar, June 13

The fateful day on June 13, 1997, at Uphaar Cinema in Green Park, Delhi, during the screening of JP Dutta’s epic war saga Border, turned into India’s worst fire tragedies in recent years as fire eruption claimed 59 lives.

While the film had actors playing roles of war-heroes during the Battle of Longewala in 1971 on screen, off the screen, Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder turned a real-life hero for many stuck in the deadly fire tragedy. The hero of Uphaar cinema fire, Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder, whose bravery and sacrifice to save the lives of people stuck in fire, was commemorated by his family members on his 25th death anniversary, which also marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

For the uninitiated, Capt Bhinder along with his four-year-old son Prabhsimran Singh and wife Jyot Saroop Kaur had died in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy in 1997. Captain Bhinder had decided to stay back and save people through the safe passage as the fire broke out.

Before sacrificing his life, the gallant officer had saved the lives of many people.

After his death, his parents mother Gurnam Kaur and father Capt Vardeep Singh had settled at Chowk Mehta, their native village. They passed away in 2020. The then government had built a stadium at Udho Nangal Government School and a gate at his native village Mehta Chowk, in his memory. Tributes were paid by natives, local residents and prominent personalities of the village remembering Capt Bhinder’s selfless act. His three sisters — Sukhminder Kaur, who is posted as district ayurvedic officer in Gurdaspur; Gursinder Kaur, who resides in Chandigarh, and Pritpal Kaur, who is based in Muscat — supported the remembrance ceremony by sharing memories of their brother.