Assassination of Indira Gandhi: Difference between revisions

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
>WikiCleanerBot
m (v2.04b - Bot T20 CW#61 - Fix errors for CW project (Reference before punctuation))
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1984 assassination of the 3rd Prime Minister of India}}
{{Short description|1984 assassination of the 3rd Prime Minister of India}}{{Infobox civilian attack
| title            = Assassination of [[Indira Gandhi]]
| location        = at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
| date            = 31 October 1984
| image            = PathOfMartyrdom.JPG
| caption          = The spot where Gandhi was shot down is marked by a glass opening in the crystal pathway at the Indira Gandhi Memorial.
| time            = 9:29 a.m.
| type            = [[Gun violence]]
| weapons          = .38 (9.1mm) revolver and [[Sterling submachine gun]]
| assailants      = [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]]
}}
 
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
Line 5: Line 16:
{{Indira Gandhi series}}
{{Indira Gandhi series}}
Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] was assassinated at 9:29  
Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] was assassinated at 9:29  
a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in [[Safdarjung Road]], [[New Delhi]]. She was killed by her [[Sikh]] bodyguards<ref name=bbconthisday>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |title=1984: Assassination and revenge |access-date=23 January 2009 |work=BBC News |date=31 October 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]] in the aftermath of [[Operation Blue Star]]. Operation Blue Star was an Indian military action carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] and his followers from the holy Golden temple of the [[Harmandir Sahib]] in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. The collateral damage included the death of many pilgrims, as well as damage to the [[Akal Takht]].<ref name="Kiss_Khalistan">{{cite book |last1=Kiss |first1=Peter A. |title=Winning Wars amongst the People: Case Studies in Asymmetric Conflict |date=2014 |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn=9781612347004 |page=100 |edition=Illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIY6AwAAQBAJ&q=khalistani+currency+bhindranwale&pg=PA100 |access-date=15 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235735/https://books.google.com/books?id=uIY6AwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA100&dq=khalistani%20currency%20bhindranwale&pg=PA100#v=onepage&q=khalistani%20currency%20bhindranwale&f=false |archive-date=15 July 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all|quote=In operation Bluestar a force of several battalions occupied the holy precincts in a battle lasting several hours. Bhindranwale and man of his associates were killed - but there was a very large number of civilian casualties as well.}}</ref>  The military action on the sacred temple was criticized by Sikhs both inside and outside India.
a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in [[Safdarjung Road]], [[New Delhi]]. She was killed by her [[Sikh]] bodyguards<ref name=bbconthisday>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |title=1984: Assassination and revenge |access-date=23 January 2009 |work=BBC News |date=31 October 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]] in the aftermath of [[Operation Blue Star]]. Operation Blue Star was an Indian military action carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] and his followers from the holy Golden temple of the [[Harmandir Sahib]] in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. The collateral damage included the death of many pilgrims, as well as damage to the [[Akal Takht]].<ref name="Kiss_Khalistan">{{cite book |last1=Kiss |first1=Peter A. |title=Winning Wars amongst the People: Case Studies in Asymmetric Conflict |date=2014 |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn=9781612347004 |page=100 |edition=Illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIY6AwAAQBAJ&q=khalistani+currency+bhindranwale&pg=PA100 |access-date=15 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235735/https://books.google.com/books?id=uIY6AwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA100&dq=khalistani%20currency%20bhindranwale&pg=PA100#v=onepage&q=khalistani%20currency%20bhindranwale&f=false |archive-date=15 July 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all|quote=In operation Bluestar a force of several battalions occupied the holy precincts in a battle lasting several hours. Bhindranwale and man of his associates were killed – but there was a very large number of civilian casualties as well.}}</ref>  The military action on the sacred temple was criticized both inside and outside India.


==Post Operation Blue Star==
==Post Operation Blue Star==
Operation Blue Star was a large Indian military operation carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib complex in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="TH_Mi6">{{cite news |title=RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/raw-chief-consulted-mi6-in-buildup-to-operation-bluestar/article5579516.ece |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=16 January 2014 |location=Chennai, India |first=Praveen |last=Swami}}</ref>  
[[Operation Blue Star]] was a large Indian military operation carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib complex in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="TH_Mi6">{{cite news |title=RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/raw-chief-consulted-mi6-in-buildup-to-operation-bluestar/article5579516.ece |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=16 January 2014 |location=Chennai, India |first=Praveen |last=Swami}}</ref>  


In June 1984, the Indian government ordered a military operation, Operation Blue Star to clear [[Harmandir Sahib | Darbar Sahib, Amritsar]] and thirty other [[Gurdwaras]] of innocent Sikhs led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who were with many other pilgrims in Gurdwaras. During this operation, the [[Indian army]] had around 3,000 casualties with 700 injuries, and 200–250 Sikh militants were killed. The handling of the operation, damage to the holy shrine and loss of life on both sides, led to widespread criticism of the Indian government.  
In June 1984, the Indian government ordered a military operation, Operation Blue Star to clear [[Harmandir Sahib | Darbar Sahib, Amritsar]] and thirty other [[Gurdwaras]] of militant Sikhs led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who were with many other pilgrims in Gurdwaras. During this operation, the [[Indian army]] had around 83 casualties with 700 injuries, and 450-500 Sikh militants were killed. The handling of the operation, damage to the holy shrine and loss of life on both sides, led to widespread criticism of the Indian government.{{citation needed|date=October 2021|reason=no examples of criticisms provided}}


The perception of threat to Gandhi's life increased after the operation.<ref name="dnaindia_tryst">{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-operation-blue-star-india-s-first-tryst-with-militant-extremism-2270293|title=Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism - Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=5 November 2016|website=Dnaindia.com|access-date=29 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103012225/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-operation-blue-star-india-s-first-tryst-with-militant-extremism-2270293|archive-date=3 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Accordingly, Sikhs were removed from her personal bodyguard by the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] due to the fear of assassination. However, Gandhi was of the opinion that this would reinforce her anti-Sikh image among the public and strengthen her political opponents. She ordered the [[Special Protection Group]] to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards, including Beant Singh who was reported to be her personal favorite.
The perception of threat to Gandhi's life increased after the operation.<ref name="dnaindia_tryst">{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-operation-blue-star-india-s-first-tryst-with-militant-extremism-2270293|title=Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism – Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=5 November 2016|website=Dnaindia.com|access-date=29 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103012225/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-operation-blue-star-india-s-first-tryst-with-militant-extremism-2270293|archive-date=3 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Accordingly, Sikhs were removed from her personal bodyguard by the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] due to the fear of assassination. However, Gandhi was of the opinion that this would reinforce her anti-Sikh image among the public and strengthen her political opponents. She ordered the [[Special Protection Group]] to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards, including Beant Singh who was reported to be her personal favorite.{{cn|date=October 2021}}


==Assassination==
==Assassination==
[[File:PathOfMartyrdom.JPG|thumb|The spot where Indira Gandhi was shot down is marked by a glass opening in the crystal pathway at the Indira Gandhi Memorial.]]
At about 9:20&nbsp;a.m. Indian Standard Time, on 31 October 1984, Gandhi was on her way to be interviewed by British actor [[Peter Ustinov]] who was filming a documentary for [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|Irish television]]. She was wearing a saffron [[saree]] with a black border, and accompanied by constable Narayan Singh, personal security officer Rameshwar Dayal and personal secretary, [[R. K. Dhawan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/the-last-day-of-indira-gandhi-1379440-2018-10-31|title=The last day of Indira Gandhi|first1=Prabhash K. |last1=Dutta |date=31 October 2018|website=India Today}}</ref> She was walking through the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1 Safdarjung Road in New Delhi towards the neighboring 1 Akbar Road office.<ref name=cnn>{{cite web |title=25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-and-indira-25-years-after-a-pms-assassination/104183-37.html |date=30 October 2009 |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104180327/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-and-indira-25-years-after-a-pms-assassination/104183-37.html |archive-date=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
At about 9:20&nbsp;a.m. Indian Standard Time, on 31 October 1984, Gandhi was on her way to be interviewed by British actor [[Peter Ustinov]] who was filming a documentary for [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|Irish television]]. She was wearing a saffron [[saree]] with a black border, and accompanied by constable Narayan Singh, personal security officer Rameshwar Dayal and personal secretary, [[R. K. Dhawan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/the-last-day-of-indira-gandhi-1379440-2018-10-31|title=The last day of Indira Gandhi|first1=Prabhash K. |last=Dutta |date=31 October 2018|website=India Today}}</ref> She was walking through the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1 Safdarjung Road in New Delhi towards the neighboring 1 Akbar Road office.<ref name=cnn>{{cite web |title=25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-and-indira-25-years-after-a-pms-assassination/104183-37.html |date=30 October 2009 |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104180327/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-and-indira-25-years-after-a-pms-assassination/104183-37.html |archive-date=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>


Gandhi passed a [[wicket gate]] guarded by Satwant and Beant Singh, and the two men opened fire. Beant fired three rounds into her abdomen from his .38 revolver;<ref name=smith/> then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his [[Sten]] submachine gun after she had fallen to the ground.<ref name=smith/> Both men then threw down their weapons and Beant said, "I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do." In the next six minutes, Border Police officers Tarsem Singh Jamwal and Ram Saran captured and killed Beant, while Satwant was arrested by Gandhi's other bodyguards, along with an accomplice trying to escape; he was seriously wounded.<ref name=tdaily>{{cite news |title=Questions still surround Gandhi assassination |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1seAAAAIBAJ&pg=1354,5824409&dq=assassination+of+indira+gandhi&hl=en |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Times Daily |date=24 November 1984 |agency=AP |location=New Delhi}}</ref> Satwant Singh was hanged in 1989 with accomplice [[Kehar Singh]].<ref>Dr. Sangat Kr. Singh, ''The Sikhs in History'', p. 393</ref>
Gandhi passed a [[wicket gate]] guarded by Satwant and Beant Singh, and the two men opened fire. Beant fired three rounds into her abdomen from his .38 ({{convert|0.38|inch|mm|disp=out}}) revolver;<ref name=smith/> then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his [[Sterling submachine gun]] after she had fallen to the ground.<ref name=smith/> Both men then threw down their weapons and Beant said, "I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do." In the next six minutes, Border Police officers Tarsem Singh Jamwal and Ram Saran captured and killed Beant, while Satwant was arrested by Gandhi's other bodyguards, along with an accomplice trying to escape; he was seriously wounded.<ref name=tdaily>{{cite news |title=Questions still surround Gandhi assassination |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1seAAAAIBAJ&pg=1354,5824409&dq=assassination+of+indira+gandhi&hl=en |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Times Daily |date=24 November 1984 |agency=AP |location=New Delhi}}</ref> Satwant Singh was hanged in 1989 with accomplice [[Kehar Singh]].<ref>Dr. Sangat Kr. Singh, ''The Sikhs in History'', p. 393</ref>


[[Salma Sultan]] gave the first news of the assassination of Gandhi on Doordarshan's evening news on 31 October 1984, more than ten hours after she was killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-riots-that-could-not-be-televised/536471/ |title=The riots that could not be televised |publisher=Indianexpress.com |date=3 November 2009 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205154910/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-riots-that-could-not-be-televised/536471/ |archive-date=5 December 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/We+the+eyeballs/1/1328.html |title=We the eyeballs : Cover Story – India Today |publisher=Indiatoday.intoday.in |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215111034/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/We+the+eyeballs/1/1328.html |archive-date=15 December 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> It is alleged{{by whom|date=October 2018}} that Gandhi's secretary R. K. Dhawan overruled intelligence and security officials who had ordered the removal of policemen as a security threat, including her assassins.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/28/world/india-releases-stinging-report-on-gandhi-s-death.html | work=The New York Times | first=Sanjoy | last=Hazarika | title=India Releases Stinging Report on Gandhi's Death | date=28 March 1989 | access-date=5 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107062316/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/28/world/india-releases-stinging-report-on-gandhi-s-death.html | archive-date=7 November 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
[[Salma Sultan]] gave the first news of the assassination of Gandhi on Doordarshan's evening news on 31 October 1984, more than ten hours after she was killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-riots-that-could-not-be-televised/536471/ |title=The riots that could not be televised |publisher=Indianexpress.com |date=3 November 2009 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205154910/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-riots-that-could-not-be-televised/536471/ |archive-date=5 December 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/We+the+eyeballs/1/1328.html |title=We the eyeballs : Cover Story – India Today |publisher=Indiatoday.intoday.in |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215111034/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/We+the+eyeballs/1/1328.html |archive-date=15 December 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> It is alleged by the Indian government that Gandhi's secretary R. K. Dhawan overruled intelligence and security officials who had ordered the removal of policemen as a security threat, including her assassins.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/28/world/india-releases-stinging-report-on-gandhi-s-death.html | work=The New York Times | first=Sanjoy | last=Hazarika | title=India Releases Stinging Report on Gandhi's Death | date=28 March 1989 | access-date=5 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107062316/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/28/world/india-releases-stinging-report-on-gandhi-s-death.html | archive-date=7 November 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>


Beant was one of Gandhi's favorite guards, whom she had known for ten years.<ref name=smith>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=William E. |title=Indira Gandhi's assassination sparks a fearful round of sectarian violence |url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_111284a.html |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Time |date=12 November 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103043002/http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_111284a.html |archive-date=3 November 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Because he was a Sikh, he had been taken off her staff after Operation Blue Star, however, Gandhi had made sure that he was reinstated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.readersdigest.in/culturescape/story-the-death-of-indira-gandhi-sagarika-ghose-124682|title=She Handpicked Him, He Shot Her Dead|last=Ghose |first=Sagarika |publisher=Reader's Digest |date=December 28, 2018 |website=readersdigest.in |access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref>  Satwant was 22 years old when he killed her, and had been assigned to Gandhi's guard just five months before her assassination.<ref name=smith/>
Beant was one of Gandhi's favorite guards, whom she had known for ten years.<ref name=smith>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=William E. |title=Indira Gandhi's assassination sparks a fearful round of sectarian violence |url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_111284a.html |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Time |date=12 November 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103043002/http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_111284a.html |archive-date=3 November 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Because he was a Sikh, he had been taken off her staff after Operation Blue Star; however, Gandhi had made sure that he was reinstated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.readersdigest.in/culturescape/story-the-death-of-indira-gandhi-sagarika-ghose-124682|title=She Handpicked Him, He Shot Her Dead|last=Ghose |first=Sagarika |publisher=Reader's Digest |date=December 28, 2018 |website=readersdigest.in |access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref>  Satwant was 22 years old when he killed her, and had been assigned to Gandhi's guard just five months before her assassination.<ref name=smith/>


[[File:IndiraGandhi-SareeAtTimeOfDeath.JPG|200px|thumb|Gandhi's blood-stained [[saree]] and her belongings at the time of her assassination, preserved at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum in [[New Delhi]].]]
[[File:IndiraGandhi-SareeAtTimeOfDeath.JPG|200px|thumb|Gandhi's blood-stained [[saree]] and her belongings at the time of her assassination, preserved at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum in [[New Delhi]].]]
Gandhi was taken to the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi]] at 9:30&nbsp;a.m., where doctors operated on her. She was declared dead at 2:20&nbsp;p.m. The postmortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by [[Tirath Das Dogra]], who stated that 30 bullets had struck Gandhi from a [[Sterling submachine gun|Sterling sub-machine gun]] and a revolver. The assailants had fired 33 bullets at her, of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body, while seven remained inside. Dogra extracted bullets to establish the identity of the weapons and to correlate each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. The bullets were matched with respective weapons at CFSL Delhi.  
Gandhi was taken to the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi]] at 9:30&nbsp;a.m., where doctors operated on her. She was declared dead at 2:20&nbsp;p.m. The postmortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by [[Tirath Das Dogra]], who stated that 30 bullets had struck Gandhi from a [[Sterling submachine gun|Sterling sub-machine gun]] and a revolver. The assailants had fired 33 bullets at her, of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body, while seven remained inside. Dogra extracted bullets to establish the identity of the weapons and to correlate each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. The bullets were matched with respective weapons at CFSL Delhi.
 
===Funeral===
==Funeral==
Gandhi's body was taken in a [[gun carriage]] through Delhi roads on the morning of 1 November to [[Teen Murti Bhavan]] where her father stayed and where she lay in state.<ref name=cnn/> She was cremated with full state honours on 3 November near [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Raj Ghat]], a memorial to [[Mahatma Gandhi]], at an area named ''Shakti Sthal''. Her elder son and successor [[Rajiv Gandhi]] lit the pyre.
Gandhi's body was taken in a [[gun carriage]] through Delhi roads on the morning of 1 November to [[Teen Murti Bhavan]] where her father stayed and where she lay in state.<ref name=cnn/> She was cremated with full state honours on 3 November near [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Raj Ghat]], a memorial to [[Mahatma Gandhi]], at an area named ''Shakti Sthal''. Her elder son and successor [[Rajiv Gandhi]] lit the pyre.


Line 81: Line 90:
| {{flag|North Korea}} || [[Pak Song-chol]] (Vice-President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|North Korea}} || [[Pak Song-chol]] (Vice-President)<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|People's Republic of Bulgaria}} || [[Todor Zhivkov]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|People's Republic of Bulgaria}} || [[Todor Zhivkov]] ([[General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party|General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party]] )<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|People's Republic of Mozambique}} || [[Samora Machel]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|People's Republic of Mozambique}} || [[Samora Machel]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|Polish People's Republic}} || [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Poland}} || [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|Philippines}} || [[Imelda Marcos]] (First Lady)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Philippines|1936}} || [[Imelda Marcos]] (First Lady)<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|South Korea}} ||  [[:ko:채문식|Chae Mun-shik]] (Speaker of the National Assembly)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|South Korea|1984}} ||  [[:ko:채문식|Chae Mun-shik]] (Speaker of the National Assembly)<ref name="report"/>
|-
|-
| {{flag|USSR}} || [[Nikolai Tikhonov]] (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|USSR}} || [[Nikolai Tikhonov]] (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)<ref name="report"/>
Line 102: Line 111:
|-
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || [[Margaret Thatcher]] (Prime Minister).<ref name="report" />  
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || [[Margaret Thatcher]] (Prime Minister).<ref name="report" />  
The Princess Royal (Representing Her Majesty The Queen)
The Princess Royal (Representing Her Majesty The Queen)
 
|-
| {{flag|United States}} || [[George Shultz]] (Secretary of State)<ref>https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-assassination-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-india</ref>
|-
|-
| {{flag|Vanuatu}} || [[Ati George Sokomanu]] (President)<br>[[Walter Lini]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Vanuatu}} || [[Ati George Sokomanu]] (President)<br>[[Walter Lini]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
Line 121: Line 130:
The Justice Thakkar Commission of Inquiry (headed by Justice [[Manharlal Pranlal Thakkar]]), set up to probe Gandhi's assassination, recommended a separate probe for the conspiracy angle behind the assassination. The Thakkar Report stated that the "needle of suspicion" pointed at R. K. Dhawan for complicity in the conspiracy.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19890415-Thakkar-commission-report-leak-govt-try-to-accuse-Arun-Nehru-of-being-the-main-culprit-815980-1989-04-15 |title=Thakkar Commission report leak: Govt try to accuse Arun Nehru of being the main culprit |first=Prabhu |last=Chawla |date=April 15, 1989 |magazine=[[India Today]] |access-date=2018-10-30 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
The Justice Thakkar Commission of Inquiry (headed by Justice [[Manharlal Pranlal Thakkar]]), set up to probe Gandhi's assassination, recommended a separate probe for the conspiracy angle behind the assassination. The Thakkar Report stated that the "needle of suspicion" pointed at R. K. Dhawan for complicity in the conspiracy.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19890415-Thakkar-commission-report-leak-govt-try-to-accuse-Arun-Nehru-of-being-the-main-culprit-815980-1989-04-15 |title=Thakkar Commission report leak: Govt try to accuse Arun Nehru of being the main culprit |first=Prabhu |last=Chawla |date=April 15, 1989 |magazine=[[India Today]] |access-date=2018-10-30 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>


Satwant Singh and alleged conspirator Kehar Singh were sentenced to death. Both were executed on 6 January 1989.
Satwant Singh and alleged conspirator Kehar Singh were sentenced to death. Both were executed on 6 January 1989.{{cn|date=October 2021}}


A Punjabi movie titled ''[[Kaum De Heere]]'' (''Gems of the Community'') highlighting the role/lives of the two guards that assassinated Indira Gandhi was set to be released on 22 August 2014, but was banned by the Indian government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-blocks-release-of-controversial-film-on-Indira-Gandhis-assassins-Kaum-de-Heere/articleshow/40606687.cms |title=Centre blocks release of controversial film on Indira Gandhi's assassins 'Kaum de Heere' |work=[[The Times of India]] |location=Mumbai |date=August 21, 2014 |agency=Times News Network |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121153206/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-blocks-release-of-controversial-film-on-Indira-Gandhis-assassins-Kaum-de-Heere/articleshow/40606687.cms |archive-date=21 November 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140821/latest-news.htm |title=Film on Indira Gandhi's assassins barred from release |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |location=Chandigarh, India |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |date=August 21, 2014 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233520/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140821/latest-news.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
A Punjabi movie titled ''[[Kaum De Heere]]'' (''Gems of the Community'') highlighting the role/lives of the two guards that assassinated Indira Gandhi was set to be released on 22 August 2014, but was banned by the Indian government<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-blocks-release-of-controversial-film-on-Indira-Gandhis-assassins-Kaum-de-Heere/articleshow/40606687.cms |title=Centre blocks release of controversial film on Indira Gandhi's assassins 'Kaum de Heere' |work=[[The Times of India]] |location=Mumbai |date=August 21, 2014 |agency=Times News Network |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121153206/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-blocks-release-of-controversial-film-on-Indira-Gandhis-assassins-Kaum-de-Heere/articleshow/40606687.cms |archive-date=21 November 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140821/latest-news.htm |title=Film on Indira Gandhi's assassins barred from release |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |location=Chandigarh, India |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |date=August 21, 2014 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233520/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140821/latest-news.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> for 5 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Delhi HC clears release of Punjabi movie 'Kaum De Heere' |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/punjab/delhi-hc-clears-release-of-punjabi-movie-kaum-de-heere-824741 |access-date=15 September 2021 |work=The Tribune |agency=Press Trust India |date=29 August 2019}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Punjab insurgency]]
* [[Punjab insurgency]]
*[[Shakti sthal]]


==References==
==References==
Line 146: Line 156:
[[Category:1984 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:1984 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:October 1984 events in Asia]]
[[Category:October 1984 events in Asia]]
[[Category:Political crimes]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:1980s in Delhi]]
[[Category:1980s in Delhi]]
[[Category:Assassinations in India|Gandhi, Indira]]
[[Category:Assassinations in India]]
[[Category:Indira Gandhi]]
[[Category:Indira Gandhi|Assassination]]
[[Category:Indira Gandhi administration|Assassination]]
[[Category:Indira Gandhi administration|Assassination]]
[[Category:Assassinated heads of government|Gandhi, Indira]]
[[Category:Assassinated heads of government]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in India]]
[[Category:1984 in India]]
[[Category:1984 in India]]
[[Category:State funerals]]
[[Category:State funerals]]
[[Category:Funerals by person]]
[[Category:Funerals by person]]
[[Category:Funerals in India]]
[[Category:Funerals in India]]

Revision as of 03:08, 11 January 2022

Assassination of Indira Gandhi
PathOfMartyrdom.JPG
The spot where Gandhi was shot down is marked by a glass opening in the crystal pathway at the Indira Gandhi Memorial.
Locationat her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
Date31 October 1984
9:29 a.m.
Attack type
Gun violence
Weapons.38 (9.1mm) revolver and Sterling submachine gun
AssailantsSatwant Singh and Beant Singh

Memorial at the place of assassination, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi

Template:Indira Gandhi series Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated at 9:29 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her Sikh bodyguards[1] Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star. Operation Blue Star was an Indian military action carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the holy Golden temple of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab. The collateral damage included the death of many pilgrims, as well as damage to the Akal Takht.[2] The military action on the sacred temple was criticized both inside and outside India.

Post Operation Blue Star

Operation Blue Star was a large Indian military operation carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984, ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab.[3]

In June 1984, the Indian government ordered a military operation, Operation Blue Star to clear Darbar Sahib, Amritsar and thirty other Gurdwaras of militant Sikhs led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who were with many other pilgrims in Gurdwaras. During this operation, the Indian army had around 83 casualties with 700 injuries, and 450-500 Sikh militants were killed. The handling of the operation, damage to the holy shrine and loss of life on both sides, led to widespread criticism of the Indian government.[citation needed]

The perception of threat to Gandhi's life increased after the operation.[4] Accordingly, Sikhs were removed from her personal bodyguard by the Intelligence Bureau due to the fear of assassination. However, Gandhi was of the opinion that this would reinforce her anti-Sikh image among the public and strengthen her political opponents. She ordered the Special Protection Group to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards, including Beant Singh who was reported to be her personal favorite.[citation needed]

Assassination

At about 9:20 a.m. Indian Standard Time, on 31 October 1984, Gandhi was on her way to be interviewed by British actor Peter Ustinov who was filming a documentary for Irish television. She was wearing a saffron saree with a black border, and accompanied by constable Narayan Singh, personal security officer Rameshwar Dayal and personal secretary, R. K. Dhawan.[5] She was walking through the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1 Safdarjung Road in New Delhi towards the neighboring 1 Akbar Road office.[6]

Gandhi passed a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant Singh, and the two men opened fire. Beant fired three rounds into her abdomen from his .38 (9.7 mm) revolver;[7] then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his Sterling submachine gun after she had fallen to the ground.[7] Both men then threw down their weapons and Beant said, "I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do." In the next six minutes, Border Police officers Tarsem Singh Jamwal and Ram Saran captured and killed Beant, while Satwant was arrested by Gandhi's other bodyguards, along with an accomplice trying to escape; he was seriously wounded.[8] Satwant Singh was hanged in 1989 with accomplice Kehar Singh.[9]

Salma Sultan gave the first news of the assassination of Gandhi on Doordarshan's evening news on 31 October 1984, more than ten hours after she was killed.[10][11] It is alleged by the Indian government that Gandhi's secretary R. K. Dhawan overruled intelligence and security officials who had ordered the removal of policemen as a security threat, including her assassins.[12]

Beant was one of Gandhi's favorite guards, whom she had known for ten years.[7] Because he was a Sikh, he had been taken off her staff after Operation Blue Star; however, Gandhi had made sure that he was reinstated.[13] Satwant was 22 years old when he killed her, and had been assigned to Gandhi's guard just five months before her assassination.[7]

Gandhi's blood-stained saree and her belongings at the time of her assassination, preserved at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum in New Delhi.

Gandhi was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi at 9:30 a.m., where doctors operated on her. She was declared dead at 2:20 p.m. The postmortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by Tirath Das Dogra, who stated that 30 bullets had struck Gandhi from a Sterling sub-machine gun and a revolver. The assailants had fired 33 bullets at her, of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body, while seven remained inside. Dogra extracted bullets to establish the identity of the weapons and to correlate each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. The bullets were matched with respective weapons at CFSL Delhi.

Funeral

Gandhi's body was taken in a gun carriage through Delhi roads on the morning of 1 November to Teen Murti Bhavan where her father stayed and where she lay in state.[6] She was cremated with full state honours on 3 November near Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, at an area named Shakti Sthal. Her elder son and successor Rajiv Gandhi lit the pyre.

The following foreign dignitaries attended the state funeral, among others:[14]

Country Dignitaries
 Algeria Abdelhamid Brahimi (Prime Minister)[14]
 Australia Ninian Stephen (Governor-General)
Bob Hawke (Prime Minister)[14]
 Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck (King)[14]
 Cambodia Heng Samrin (Head of State)
Chan Sy (Prime Minister)[14]
 Canada Brian Dickson (Chief Justice)
Joe Clark (Former Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs)[14]
 China Yao Yilin (Vice-Premier)[14]
Template:Country data Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Lubomír Štrougal (Prime Minister)[14]
 East Germany Horst Sindermann (President of the People's Chamber)[14]
 Fiji Penaia Ganilau (Governor-General)
Kamisese Mara (Prime Minister)[14]
 France Laurent Fabius (Prime Minister)[14]
 Indonesia Umar Wirahadikusumah (Vice-President)[14]
 Japan Yasuhiro Nakasone (Prime Minister)[14]
 Jordan Prince Hassan bin Talal (Crown Prince)[14]
 Kenya Mwai Kibaki (Vice President)[14]
 Laos Souphanouvong (President)
Kaysone Phomvihane (Prime Minister)[14]
 Liberia Harry Moniba (Vice President)[14]
 Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth (Prime Minister)[14]
Template:Country data Mongolian People's Republic T. Ragchaa (First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers)[14]
 Nauru Hammer DeRoburt (President)[14]
   Nepal Lokendra Bahadur Chand (Prime Minister)[14]
 New Zealand David Beattie (Governor-General)
David Lange (Prime Minister)[14]
 North Korea Pak Song-chol (Vice-President)[14]
Template:Country data People's Republic of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov (General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party )[14]
Template:Country data People's Republic of Mozambique Samora Machel (President)[14]
 Poland Wojciech Jaruzelski (Prime Minister)[14]
 Philippines Imelda Marcos (First Lady)[14]
 South Korea Chae Mun-shik (Speaker of the National Assembly)[14]
Template:Country data USSR Nikolai Tikhonov (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)[14]
 SFR Yugoslavia Veselin Đuranović (President)[14]
 Syria Zuhair Masharqa (Vice President)
Farouk al-Sharaa (Foreign Minister)[14]
 Tanzania Julius Nyerere (President)[14]
 Uganda Milton Obote (President)[14]
 United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister).[14]

The Princess Royal (Representing Her Majesty The Queen)

 United States George Shultz (Secretary of State)[15]
 Vanuatu Ati George Sokomanu (President)
Walter Lini (Prime Minister)[14]
 Vietnam Trường Chinh (President)
Phạm Văn Đồng (Prime Minister)[14]
 Zambia Kenneth Kaunda (President)[14]
 Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe (Prime Minister)[14]

Aftermath

Over the next four days, 8,000 Sikhs were killed in retaliatory violence.[16]

The Justice Thakkar Commission of Inquiry (headed by Justice Manharlal Pranlal Thakkar), set up to probe Gandhi's assassination, recommended a separate probe for the conspiracy angle behind the assassination. The Thakkar Report stated that the "needle of suspicion" pointed at R. K. Dhawan for complicity in the conspiracy.[17]

Satwant Singh and alleged conspirator Kehar Singh were sentenced to death. Both were executed on 6 January 1989.[citation needed]

A Punjabi movie titled Kaum De Heere (Gems of the Community) highlighting the role/lives of the two guards that assassinated Indira Gandhi was set to be released on 22 August 2014, but was banned by the Indian government[18][19] for 5 years.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1984: Assassination and revenge". BBC News. 31 October 1984. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  2. ↑ Kiss, Peter A. (2014). Winning Wars amongst the People: Case Studies in Asymmetric Conflict (Illustrated ed.). Potomac Books. p. 100. ISBN 9781612347004. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018. In operation Bluestar a force of several battalions occupied the holy precincts in a battle lasting several hours. Bhindranwale and man of his associates were killed – but there was a very large number of civilian casualties as well.
  3. ↑ Swami, Praveen (16 January 2014). "RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  4. ↑ "Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism – Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Dutta, Prabhash K. (31 October 2018). "The last day of Indira Gandhi". India Today.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination". CNN-IBN. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Smith, William E. (12 November 1984). "Indira Gandhi's assassination sparks a fearful round of sectarian violence". Time. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Questions still surround Gandhi assassination". Times Daily. New Delhi. AP. 24 November 1984. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Dr. Sangat Kr. Singh, The Sikhs in History, p. 393
  10. ↑ "The riots that could not be televised". Indianexpress.com. 3 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "We the eyeballs : Cover Story – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Hazarika, Sanjoy (28 March 1989). "India Releases Stinging Report on Gandhi's Death". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  13. ↑ Ghose, Sagarika (28 December 2018). "She Handpicked Him, He Shot Her Dead". readersdigest.in. Reader's Digest. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  14. ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 14.32 14.33 14.34 14.35 14.36 14.37 "MEA Annual Report 1984-85". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 1985. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  15. ↑ https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-assassination-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-india
  16. ↑ Nelson, Dean (30 January 2014). "Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  17. ↑ Chawla, Prabhu (15 April 1989). "Thakkar Commission report leak: Govt try to accuse Arun Nehru of being the main culprit". India Today. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "Centre blocks release of controversial film on Indira Gandhi's assassins 'Kaum de Heere'". The Times of India. Mumbai. Times News Network. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Film on Indira Gandhi's assassins barred from release". The Tribune. Chandigarh, India. Press Trust of India. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Delhi HC clears release of Punjabi movie 'Kaum De Heere'". The Tribune. Press Trust India. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

External links

Coordinates: 28°36′01″N 77°12′22″E / 28.60028°N 77.20611°E / 28.60028; 77.20611

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi&oldid=288909"