Chandigarh, July 31
“Too little and too late” that is the reaction of the two families of the victims of the August 31, 1995, bomb blast that killed former chief minister Beant Singh and 17 others at the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat.

Anuradha Bali of Sector 22, wife of Yashpal Bali, the personal assistant to Beant Singh, rued the fact that the case had become “Beant-centric” with the families of other victims being ignored. “It seems, nobody is bothered about our plight,” she added.

Recalling that fateful day, she informed that it was around 4.45 pm, when I came out of my office. However, by 6.15 p.m, I came to know about my husband’s death, almost an hour after the blast.” “We are living a tough life and it is my daughter who keeps me going”, she further added.

Kanika, 19, daughter of Anuradha, while remembering her father said, “I really miss my father whenever I see happy families of my friends. I usually get tense on the parents-teachers meet in my school as my father used to come on that day.”

Expressing unhappiness on the judgement, Surinder Kaur, wife of Swaran Singh another PA to then CM, who was killed in the blast said, “All convicts should have been hanged to death as their act had ruined our family.”

Satwinder Singh, younger son of Swaran Singh, got job in Punjab Secretariat as a clerk in October, 1995 on compassionate grounds. While elder son, Sarbjit Singh got a job on merit in the education department after a struggle of six years. A visibly upset Satwinder said, “My father had called up home a few minutes before the blast and told that he had to go to some other office and would get late”. Sarbjit, while missing the happy days spent with his father Sarbjit said, “We missed father on my and my brother’s marriages”

Anuradha Bali and Surender Kaur said “we did not know each other before the incident. But after the incident we have consoled one another to manage our lives for the happiness of our children”.

Reacting to the decision given by the judge Beant Singh’s wife Jaswant Kaur said, “We partially accept the decision of the court. Our only request is to hang all convicts to death.”

Beant’s grandson Gurkirat Singh, pointed out, “We will file a petition in the high court to make it sure that all convicts are given death sentence.”