Assassination of Indira Gandhi: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|1984 assassination of the 3rd Prime Minister of India}}{{Infobox civilian attack
{{Short description|1984 encounter in New Delhi, India}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title            = Assassination of [[Indira Gandhi]]
| title            = Assassination of [[Indira Gandhi]]
| location        = at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
| location        = [[7 RCR|Prime Minister residence]], [[Safdarjung]] Road, [[New Delhi]]
| date            = 31 October 1984
| date            = 31 October 1984
| image            = PathOfMartyrdom.JPG
| 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.
| 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.
| time            = 9:30 a.m.
| type            = [[Gun violence]]
| type            = [[Gun violence]]
| weapons          = .38 (9.1mm) revolver and [[Sterling submachine gun]]
| weapons          = .38 (9.1 mm) revolver and [[Sterling submachine gun]]
| assailants      = [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]]
| assailants      = [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]]
| victim          = [[Indira Gandhi]]
}}
}}


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[[File:Indira gandhi memorial.jpg|thumb|200px|Memorial at the place of assassination, [[Safdarjung Road]], [[New Delhi]]]]
[[File:Indira gandhi memorial.jpg|thumb|200px|Memorial at the place of assassination, [[Safdarjung Road]], [[New Delhi]]]]
{{Indira Gandhi series}}
{{Indira Gandhi series}}
Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] was assassinated at 9:29
[[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]] was assassinated at 9:30 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her [[7 RCR|residence]] in [[Safdarjung]] Road, [[New Delhi]]. She was killed by her 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]], 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 [[Golden Temple|Golden Temple of 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.
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==
==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 militant Sikh 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 the 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> The [[Indian army]] suffered around 83 casualties with 700 injuries, and 450–500 Sikh rebels were killed during the operation. The handling of the operation, damage to the [[Golden Temple|holy shrine]], and loss of military and civilian life on both sides led to widespread criticism of the Indian government.{{citation needed|date=October 2021|reason=no examples of criticisms provided}}


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 perceived 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 |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 detail by the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] for fear of assassination. Gandhi thought that this would reinforce her anti-Sikh image among the public, however, and she ordered the [[Delhi Police]] to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards,<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> including Beant Singh, who was reported to be her personal favorite.<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>
 
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==
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 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 accompanied by Constable Narayan Singh, personal security officer Rameshwar Dayal and Gandhi's 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>


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>
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|Sterling sub-machine 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 and 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 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>
[[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 at the time of the assassination, and had been assigned to Gandhi's guard just five months previously.<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. 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 to the weapons at CFSL Delhi.  
 
The Indian government ordered a [[national mourning]] from November 1 to November 12 with flags half-masted and canceled entertainment and cultural events and offices closed for several days.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/htthisday-november-1-1984-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-shot-dead-12-day-mourning-announced-101635688584055.html | title=HT THIS DAY: November 1, 1984 — Prime Minister Indira Gandhi shot dead; 12-day mourning announced | date=31 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/world/india-hangs-two-sikhs-convicted-in-assassination-of-indira-gandhi.html | title=India Hangs Two Sikhs Convicted in Assassination of Indira Gandhi | newspaper=The New York Times | date=6 January 1989 | last1=Crossette | first1=Barbara }}</ref> [[Pakistan]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/31/Indira-Gandhi-assassinated/9097413288121/ | title=Indira Gandhi assassinated }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/02/world/assassination-aftermath-olive-branches-neighbors-pakistan-offers-improve-india.html | title=Assassination Aftermath: Olive Branches from Neighbors; Pakistan Offers to Improve India Ties | newspaper=The New York Times | date=2 November 1984 }}</ref> declared three days of mourning and [[Bulgaria]] declared a day of national mourning.<ref>Указ № 3904 от 1 ноември 1984 г. Обн. ДВ. бр. 88 от 6 ноември 1984 г.</ref>
 
===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 honors 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.


The following foreign dignitaries attended the state funeral, among others:<ref name="report">{{cite web|title=MEA Annual Report 1984-85|url=https://mealib.nic.in/?2513?000|website=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India|date=1985|accessdate=13 June 2021}}</ref>
Among the foreign dignitaries who attended the state funeral were:<ref name="report">{{cite web|title=MEA Annual Report 1984-85|url=https://mealib.nic.in/?2513?000|website=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India|date=1985|accessdate=13 June 2021}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable sortable"  
{| class="wikitable sortable"  
Line 46: Line 48:
! Dignitaries
! Dignitaries
|-
|-
| {{flag|Algeria}} || [[Abdelhamid Brahimi]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Algeria}} || [[Abdelhamid Brahimi]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Australia}} || [[Ninian Stephen]] (Governor-General)<br>[[Bob Hawke]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Australia}} || [[Ninian Stephen]] (Governor-General)<br />[[Bob Hawke]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Bhutan}} || [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]] (King)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Bhutan}} || [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]] (King)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Cambodia}} || [[Heng Samrin]] (Head of State)<br>[[Chan Sy]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Canada}} || [[Brian Dickson]] (Chief Justice)<br />[[Joe Clark]] (Former Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Canada}} || [[Brian Dickson]] (Chief Justice)<br>[[Joe Clark]] (Former Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|China}} || [[Yao Yilin]] (Vice-Premier)
|-
|-
| {{flag|China}} || [[Yao Yilin]] (Vice-Premier)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}} || [[Lubomír Štrougal]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}} || [[Lubomír Štrougal]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|East Germany}} || [[Horst Sindermann]] (President of the People's Chamber)
|-
|-
| {{flag|East Germany}} || [[Horst Sindermann]] (President of the People's Chamber)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Fiji}} || [[Penaia Ganilau]] (Governor-General)<br />[[Kamisese Mara]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Fiji}} || [[Penaia Ganilau]] (Governor-General)<br>[[Kamisese Mara]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|France}} || [[Laurent Fabius]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|France}} || [[Laurent Fabius]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Indonesia}} || [[Umar Wirahadikusumah]] (Vice-President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Indonesia}} || [[Umar Wirahadikusumah]] (Vice-President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Japan}} || [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Japan}} || [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Jordan}} || [[Prince Hassan bin Talal]] (Crown Prince)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Jordan}} || [[Prince Hassan bin Talal]] (Crown Prince)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Kenya}} || [[Mwai Kibaki]] (Vice President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Kenya}} || [[Mwai Kibaki]] (Vice President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Laos}} || [[Souphanouvong]] (President)<br />[[Kaysone Phomvihane]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Laos}} || [[Souphanouvong]] (President)<br>[[Kaysone Phomvihane]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Liberia}} || [[Harry Moniba]] (Vice President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Liberia}} || [[Harry Moniba]] (Vice President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Mauritius}} || [[Anerood Jugnauth]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Mauritius}} || [[Anerood Jugnauth]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Mongolian People's Republic}} || T. Ragchaa (First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Mongolian People's Republic}} || T. Ragchaa (First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Nauru}} || [[Hammer DeRoburt]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Nauru}} || [[Hammer DeRoburt]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Nepal}} || [[Lokendra Bahadur Chand]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Nepal}} || [[Lokendra Bahadur Chand]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|New Zealand}} || [[David Beattie]] (Governor-General)<br />[[David Lange]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|New Zealand}} || [[David Beattie]] (Governor-General)<br>[[David Lange]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|North Korea}} || [[Pak Song-chol]] (Vice-President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|North Korea}} || [[Pak Song-chol]] (Vice-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]])
|-
|-
| {{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 Kampuchea}} || [[Heng Samrin]] (President of the Council of State)<br />[[Chan Sy]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|People's Republic of Mozambique}} || [[Samora Machel]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|People's Republic of Mozambique}} || [[Samora Machel]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Poland}} || [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Philippines|1936}} || [[Imelda Marcos]] (First Lady)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Philippines|1936}} || [[Imelda Marcos]] (First Lady)
|-
|-
| {{flag|South Korea|1984}} ||  [[: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)
|-
|-
| {{flag|USSR}} || [[Nikolai Tikhonov]] (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|USSR}} || [[Nikolai Tikhonov]] (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
|-
|-
| {{flag|SFR Yugoslavia}} || [[Veselin Đuranović]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|SFR Yugoslavia}} || [[Veselin Đuranović]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Syria}} ||  [[Zuhair Masharqa]] (Vice President)<br>[[Farouk al-Sharaa]] (Foreign Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Syria}} ||  [[Zuhair Masharqa]] (Vice President)<br />[[Farouk al-Sharaa]] (Foreign Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Tanzania}} ||  [[Julius Nyerere]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Tanzania}} ||  [[Julius Nyerere]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Uganda}} ||  [[Milton Obote]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Uganda}} ||  [[Milton Obote]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || [[Margaret Thatcher]] (Prime Minister).<ref name="report" />  
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || [[Margaret Thatcher]] (Prime Minister)<br />[[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Royal]] (Representing [[Elizabeth II|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|United States}} || [[George Shultz]] (Secretary of State)<ref>{{cite news|quote=Secretary of State George P. Shultz was named to head the official US delegation to Gandhi's funeral. Bush, asked why he would not represent the United States there, as he often has at state funerals, said: 'Because I'm involved in an election campaign...I think people will understand.'|title=Reagan, Others Express Shock, Grief|date=November 1, 1984|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Boston Globe|page=14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-assassination-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-india|title=Statement on the Assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India|date=October 31, 1984|last=Reagan|first=Ronald|website=reaganlibrary.gov|access-date=October 27, 2022}}</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)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || [[Trường Chinh]] (President)<br>[[Phạm Văn Đồng]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || [[Trường Chinh]] (President)<br />[[Phạm Văn Đồng]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Zambia}} || [[Kenneth Kaunda]] (President)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Zambia}} || [[Kenneth Kaunda]] (President)
|-
|-
| {{flag|Zimbabwe}} || [[Robert Mugabe]] (Prime Minister)<ref name="report"/>
| {{flag|Zimbabwe}} || [[Robert Mugabe]] (Prime Minister)
|-
|-
|}
|}


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
Over the next four days, 8,000 Sikhs were killed in [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|retaliatory violence]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10607451/Delhi-to-reopen-inquiry-in-to-massacre-of-Sikhs-in-1984-riots.html| first=Dean |last=Nelson |date=2014-01-30 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=3 May 2016 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Over the next four days, 8,000 Sikhs were killed in [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|retaliatory violence]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10607451/Delhi-to-reopen-inquiry-in-to-massacre-of-Sikhs-in-1984-riots.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10607451/Delhi-to-reopen-inquiry-in-to-massacre-of-Sikhs-in-1984-riots.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| first=Dean |last=Nelson |date=2014-01-30 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=3 May 2016 |df=dmy-all}}{{cbignore}}</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>
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.{{cn|date=October 2021}}
Satwant Singh and alleged conspirator Kehar Singh were sentenced to death. Both were executed on 6 January 1989.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hazarika |first1=Sanjoy |title=Protests Follow Hanging of 2 Sikhs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/07/world/protests-follow-hanging-of-2-sikhs.html |volume=138|work=The New York Times |issue=47743 |date=7 January 1989}}</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>
A Punjabi movie titled ''[[Kaum De Heere]]'' (''Gems of the Community'') highlighting the roles/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 five 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 143: Line 143:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130227011011/http://www.delhiwonders.com/delhi-indira-gandhi-memorial Indira Gandhi Memorial] Indira Gandhi assassination books in Tamil in two volumes by Mrs. Z.Y. Himsagar and S. Padmavathi, M.A., M.L., Notion press.com, CHENNAI, 2016 edition, {{ISBN|9789352065967}} {{ISBN|9789352065974}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130227011011/http://www.delhiwonders.com/delhi-indira-gandhi-memorial Indira Gandhi Memorial] Indira Gandhi assassination books in Tamil in two volumes by Mrs. Z.Y. Himsagar and S. Padmavathi, M.A., M.L., Notion press.com, Chennai, 2016 edition, {{ISBN|9789352065967|9789352065974}}
* [http://indiragandhi.in/en/memorial/virtual-museum Explore the Virtual Memorial of Indira Gandhi]
* [http://indiragandhi.in/en/memorial/virtual-museum Explore the Virtual Memorial of Indira Gandhi]


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[[Category:Assassination of Indira Gandhi| ]]
[[Category:1984 anti-Sikh riots]]
[[Category:1984 anti-Sikh riots]]
[[Category:1984 crimes in India]]
[[Category:1984 murders in India]]
[[Category:Crime in Delhi]]
[[Category:1980s murders in India]]
[[Category:1984 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:October 1984 events in Asia]]
[[Category:October 1984 events in Asia]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
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[[Category:Deaths by person in India]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in India]]
[[Category:1984 in India]]
[[Category:1984 in India]]
[[Category:State funerals]]
[[Category:State funerals in India]]
[[Category:Funerals by person]]
[[Category:Funerals by person]]
[[Category:Funerals in India]]
[[Category:Murder in Delhi]]

Revision as of 19:37, 21 December 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
LocationPrime Minister residence, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
Date31 October 1984
9:30 a.m.
Attack type
Gun violence
Weapons.38 (9.1 mm) revolver and Sterling submachine gun
VictimIndira Gandhi
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 9:30 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her bodyguards[1] Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, 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 Golden Temple of 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.

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 militant Sikh followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab.[3] The Indian army suffered around 83 casualties with 700 injuries, and 450–500 Sikh rebels were killed during the operation. The handling of the operation, damage to the holy shrine, and loss of military and civilian life on both sides led to widespread criticism of the Indian government.[citation needed]

The perceived threat to Gandhi's life increased after the operation.[4] Accordingly, Sikhs were removed from her personal bodyguard detail by the Intelligence Bureau for fear of assassination. Gandhi thought that this would reinforce her anti-Sikh image among the public, however, and she ordered the Delhi Police to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards,[5] including Beant Singh, who was reported to be her personal favorite.[6]

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 accompanied by Constable Narayan Singh, personal security officer Rameshwar Dayal and Gandhi's personal secretary, R. K. Dhawan.[7] 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.[8]

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;[6] then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his Sterling sub-machine gun after she had fallen to the ground.[6] 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 and an accomplice trying to escape; he was seriously wounded.[9] Satwant Singh was hanged in 1989 with accomplice Kehar Singh.[10]

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.[11][12] 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.[13]

Beant was one of Gandhi's favorite guards, whom she had known for ten years.[6] 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.[14] Satwant was 22 years old at the time of the assassination, and had been assigned to Gandhi's guard just five months previously.[6]

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. 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 to the weapons at CFSL Delhi.

The Indian government ordered a national mourning from November 1 to November 12 with flags half-masted and canceled entertainment and cultural events and offices closed for several days.[15][16] Pakistan[17][18] declared three days of mourning and Bulgaria declared a day of national mourning.[19]

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.[8] She was cremated with full state honors 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.

Among the foreign dignitaries who attended the state funeral were:[20]

Country Dignitaries
 Algeria Abdelhamid Brahimi (Prime Minister)
 Australia Ninian Stephen (Governor-General)
Bob Hawke (Prime Minister)
 Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck (King)
 Canada Brian Dickson (Chief Justice)
Joe Clark (Former Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs)
 China Yao Yilin (Vice-Premier)
Template:Country data Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Lubomír Štrougal (Prime Minister)
 East Germany Horst Sindermann (President of the People's Chamber)
 Fiji Penaia Ganilau (Governor-General)
Kamisese Mara (Prime Minister)
 France Laurent Fabius (Prime Minister)
 Indonesia Umar Wirahadikusumah (Vice-President)
 Japan Yasuhiro Nakasone (Prime Minister)
 Jordan Prince Hassan bin Talal (Crown Prince)
 Kenya Mwai Kibaki (Vice President)
 Laos Souphanouvong (President)
Kaysone Phomvihane (Prime Minister)
 Liberia Harry Moniba (Vice President)
 Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth (Prime Minister)
Template:Country data Mongolian People's Republic T. Ragchaa (First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
 Nauru Hammer DeRoburt (President)
   Nepal Lokendra Bahadur Chand (Prime Minister)
 New Zealand David Beattie (Governor-General)
David Lange (Prime Minister)
 North Korea Pak Song-chol (Vice-President)
Template:Country data People's Republic of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov (General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party)
Template:Country data People's Republic of Kampuchea Heng Samrin (President of the Council of State)
Chan Sy (Prime Minister)
Template:Country data People's Republic of Mozambique Samora Machel (President)
 Poland Wojciech Jaruzelski (Prime Minister)
 Philippines Imelda Marcos (First Lady)
 South Korea Chae Mun-shik (Speaker of the National Assembly)
Template:Country data USSR Nikolai Tikhonov (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
 SFR Yugoslavia Veselin Đuranović (President)
 Syria Zuhair Masharqa (Vice President)
Farouk al-Sharaa (Foreign Minister)
 Tanzania Julius Nyerere (President)
 Uganda Milton Obote (President)
 United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister)
Princess Royal (Representing Her Majesty The Queen)
 United States George Shultz (Secretary of State)[21][22]
 Vanuatu Ati George Sokomanu (President)
Walter Lini (Prime Minister)
 Vietnam Trường Chinh (President)
Phạm Văn Đồng (Prime Minister)
 Zambia Kenneth Kaunda (President)
 Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe (Prime Minister)

Aftermath

Over the next four days, 8,000 Sikhs were killed in retaliatory violence.[23]

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.[24]

Satwant Singh and alleged conspirator Kehar Singh were sentenced to death. Both were executed on 6 January 1989.[25]

A Punjabi movie titled Kaum De Heere (Gems of the Community) highlighting the roles/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[26][27] for five years.[28]

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 the build-up to Operation Bluestar". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  4. ↑ "Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism". Dnaindia.com. 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Ghose, Sagarika (28 December 2018). "She Handpicked Him, He Shot Her Dead". readersdigest.in. Reader's Digest. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 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.
  7. ↑ Dutta, Prabhash K. (31 October 2018). "The last day of Indira Gandhi". India Today.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination". CNN-IBN. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Questions still surround Gandhi assassination". Times Daily. New Delhi. AP. 24 November 1984. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Dr. Sangat Kr. Singh, The Sikhs in History, p. 393
  11. ↑ "The riots that could not be televised". Indianexpress.com. 3 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "We the eyeballs : Cover Story – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Ghose, Sagarika (28 December 2018). "She Handpicked Him, He Shot Her Dead". readersdigest.in. Reader's Digest. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "HT THIS DAY: November 1, 1984 — Prime Minister Indira Gandhi shot dead; 12-day mourning announced". 31 October 2021.
  16. ↑ Crossette, Barbara (6 January 1989). "India Hangs Two Sikhs Convicted in Assassination of Indira Gandhi". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ "Indira Gandhi assassinated".
  18. ↑ "Assassination Aftermath: Olive Branches from Neighbors; Pakistan Offers to Improve India Ties". The New York Times. 2 November 1984.
  19. ↑ Указ № 3904 от 1 ноември 1984 г. Обн. ДВ. бр. 88 от 6 ноември 1984 г.
  20. ↑ "MEA Annual Report 1984-85". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 1985. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  21. ↑ "Reagan, Others Express Shock, Grief". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. 1 November 1984. p. 14. Secretary of State George P. Shultz was named to head the official US delegation to Gandhi's funeral. Bush, asked why he would not represent the United States there, as he often has at state funerals, said: 'Because I'm involved in an election campaign...I think people will understand.'
  22. ↑ Reagan, Ronald (31 October 1984). "Statement on the Assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India". reaganlibrary.gov. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  23. ↑ Nelson, Dean (30 January 2014). "Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ Hazarika, Sanjoy (7 January 1989). "Protests Follow Hanging of 2 Sikhs". The New York Times. Vol. 138, no. 47743.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ "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.
  28. ↑ "Delhi HC clears release of Punjabi movie 'Kaum De Heere'". The Tribune. Press Trust India. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

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