In an unfortunate incident at the Uphaar Cinema in Green Park, Delhi, a fire broke out during a screening of JP Dutta’s epic war fiction Border on June 13, 1997. 59 people were killed when a fire broke out.
As the movie was about the Battle of Longewala in 1971, on-screen the actors were portraying war heroes. But for the people who were caught in a catastrophic fire, Captain Manjinder Singh Bhinder proved to be a real-life hero.
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A real off-screen hero, Capt. Manjinder Singh Bhinder died while saving 150 people from the fire
The recent Netflix series Trial by Fire based on the tragic incident of the Uphaar cinema shows us the dark and painful side of the fire on 13th June 1997. Capt. Manjinder Singh Bhinder’s story was left out of it.
A SOLDIER IS NEVER OFF DUTY
On 13th June, 1997 Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder of 61 CAVALRY with his wife Jyot-Roop and four years old son Ruskin, went to see the film “Border” in Uphaar Cinema in Green Park area, New Delhi. While the movie was on, the Hall caught fire. pic.twitter.com/tKxk4GTAnx
— Guardians_of_the_Nation (@love_for_nation) August 26, 2021
Capt. Bhinder was able to rescue and save the lives of people who were trapped inside the burning building at the Uphaar cinema. The man not only showcased his bravery but also sacrificed his life for the greater good.
Capt. Bhinder’s wife and son also succumbed to the fire
His son Prabhsimran Singh was only 4 back then, and his wife Jyot Saroop Kaur were also among the people killed in the tragic 1997 fire at the Uphaar cinema.
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Captain Bhinder stayed behind to rescue others as the fire started spreading, he guided them out through the safe passage. The courageous officer saved many lives before sacrificing his own.
To honor him, the government built a stadium at Udho Nangal Government School and a gate in his hometown, Mehta Chowk
His parents moved to their home village, Chowk Mehta after getting the news of his death. Captain Bhinder’s mother was Gurnam Kaur, and his father was Capt. Vardeep Singh. They passed away in 2020.
Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder sacrificed his life trying to save 150 people trapped in Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy even after realising that his 4 YO son & wife too were engulfed in the flames and couldn’t be saved. An outstanding horseman he captained the NDA and IMA Equestrian+ pic.twitter.com/ntZ4DnApRy
— STAVKA (@Maverickmusafir) April 8, 2022
He has three sisters, Pritpal Kaur, who lives in Muscat, Sukhminder Kaur, who works as a district ayurvedic officer in Gurdaspur, and Gursinder Kaur, who still continues to live in Chandigarh.
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After the government decided to honor him for Capt. Bhinder’s selfless act, the natives, residents of the village, and prominent individuals paid tribute to him.
TWENTY-THREE yrs ago this gallant #IndianBrave sacrificed his life selflessly saving 150 lives #LestWeForgetIndia🇮🇳 gallant #IndianBrave Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder, 61st Cavalry, and his selfless sacrifice #OnThisDay 13 June in 1997 in the #Uphaar cinema fire in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/p2JBFDfPTm
— LestWeForgetIndia🇮🇳 (@LestWeForgetIN) June 13, 2020
& Polo teams & was only rider to participate in all disciplines (show jumping,eventing & tent-pegging)& won medals in these events. He performed commendably in 4th National Games at Mysore,winning 03 Gold, 01 Silver & 01 Bronze, making him a strong prospect for 1998 Asian Games. pic.twitter.com/gfQ7VsT9MX
— STAVKA (@Maverickmusafir) April 8, 2022
The Uphaar Fire Tragedy has become the nation’s talk again because of the recent release of the Netflix web series Trial By Fire
The series has been loved by the audience as it showcased a hard-hitting yet convincing journey of two parents fighting powerful forces for justice for over two decades.
It is a limited series that showed their everlasting battles to get justice. It also depicted the stories of people whose lives were destroyed or changed by the fire.
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The series portrays the harrowing legal battle and the tough journey of two parents who lost their children. It traces the story of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy
It is based on the best-selling book, Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy, written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy.
The Netflix drama was made by Endemol Shine India and House of Talkies. Directed by Prashant Nair and Rajshri Deshpande. It features actors including Rajesh Tailang, Abhay Deol, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ratna Pathak, Anupam Kher, Shilpa Shukla, and Shardul Bharadwaj who play important roles.
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Trial By Fire was released on January 13 exclusively on Netflix.
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