Twenty Five years on and Ranjit Singh is yet to get justice. On November 1, 1984 — a day after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated — Ranjit lost his father and his younger brother in the anti-Sikh riots.

On the fateful day, Harbans Singh, Ranjit’s father, went to the Belghoria police station to lodge a complaint against attempt to loot in his grocery shop near his house in Station Road of Belghoria in North 24 Parganas district.

But when the police officers advised him not to go back to his shop, he laughed: “What will happen to me? I have been staying in this place for so long and all are my friends and well-wishers.” Harbans was proved wrong.

Soon after he returned to his shop, a frenzied mob set the shop on fire, killing Harbans and his younger son Sheru Singh. The mob looted valuables worth Rs 6 lakh.

Ranjit, who was also in the shop, ran and took shelter in another person’s house. The entire family was given shelter in a neighbour’s house.

A case was registered at Belghoria police station by the then Inspector in-charge of the police station S Dutta Mazumder.

Ranjit, now 50, who runs a small transport business at Rathtala in Belghoria, has not been given a single penny either from the state or Central government.

Interestingly, three others who were killed in the anti-Sikh riots — Mohan Singh, Joginder Singh and Anup Singh, all from Burdwan — got Rs 10,000 from the state Disaster Management department.

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