Back in Time is ED’s newspaper-like column that reports an incident from the past as though it happened just yesterday. It allows the reader to re-live it several years later, on the date it occurred.
October 31, 1984:
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards today, at her residence on Safdarjung Road, New Delhi.
The day of India’s “Iron Lady” was scheduled to start with a shoot with Peter Alexander Ustinov, an English documentary maker. This was followed by a meeting with the former Prime Minister of England, James Callaghan, and then a dinner with the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
She was going to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), adjacent to her residence, for her shoot at 9:10 a.m. when one of the assailants, Beant Singh fired at her. The other assailant, Satwant Singh emptied all of the 25 bullets from his carbine at her chest and abdomen.
She was immediately taken to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by her secretary RK Dhawan and a cop Dinesh Bhatt. Gandhi was admitted to the emergency at 9.32 a.m., and her treatment was started immediately. Although she had been shot multiple times, her heart was still intact. The doctors removed the bullets from her body and 80 bottles of blood were transfused. However, she succumbed to her injuries at 2.32 p.m.
Sources claim that the two Sikhs assassinated her in retaliation to the Operation Blue Star carried out at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. PM Gandhi mandated the Indian Army in June this year to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a militant Sikh leader and his followers, all of whom were hiding at the temple.
Since the militants possessed substantial artillery, it led to a severe conflict between them and the army, resulting in various civilian casualties. June 10 marked the end of the ten-day violent clash. The militants, who were demanding an independent Sikh-majority country in Punjab, called Khalistan, were killed and the army seized control of certain parts of the temple.
This incident has received condemnation from Sikhs all over the world, who see it as an attack by Gandhi on the religious community. The fact that this encounter led to the damage of some buildings of the holiest shrine for the Sikhs, the Golden Temple, further hurt the feelings of its believers.
The PM had started getting death threats after the end of the operation. There had been talks of expelling her Sikh bodyguards, however, she laid her trust in them and believed that they wouldn’t hurt her.
Violent riots have erupted all over the country, as the Sikh population is being targeted. The army has been deployed to control this outbreak.
Read More: Back In Time: 42 Years Ago Today, Indira Gandhi Lifted The Emergency
October 31, 2024:
4 decades after her death, the three-time, only woman PM of India is still remembered by many fondly for the welfare policies and programs she undertook.
One of the assailants, Beant Singh was located and killed by the Border Police on that day itself while Satwant Singh was tried and executed on January 6, 1989.
The bloody violence that followed this assassination took the lives of thousands of innocents and made its way to engrave as horror in Indian history.
“I don’t mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation,” she had said at a political rally, the night before her death.
Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv Gandhi was sworn as the succeeding PM hours after her death. He also won the General Elections of 1984 in December by a vast majority. However, he too was assassinated in 1991, while he was campaigning for the upcoming elections.
A few weeks after the incident, Rajiv Gandhi addressed a political rally and said, “We must remember Indiraji. We must remember why her assassination happened. We must remember who could be the people behind this. When Indira’s assassination happened, there were riots in the country. We know that the hearts of the Indian people were full of anger and that for a few days, people felt India was shaking. When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.”
Her assassination not only shook the country but the whole world. That morning, the regular programme of the famous American TV show, which had a six million audience, was abandoned and two exclusive hours were devoted to showing the life of Indira Gandhi.
Margaret Thatcher, then-British Prime Minister had told Parliament, “This despicable act has robbed India of a great and courageous leader, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru … We shall all feel the loss of her wise counsel and deep humanity.”‘
According to a White House spokesman, Ronald Reagan, then-US President, was awakened at 3.00 a.m. to be told that Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
“Her senseless murder serves as a vivid reminder of the terrorist threat we all confront. We must therefore renew our determination to overcome this threat and ensure that Prime Minister Gandhi’s accomplishments and memory will serve as an inspiration for humanity,” he had said in a written statement and also visited the Indian Embassy to sign a book of condolences and meet the Indian Ambassador, K.S. Bajpai.
The incident is remembered with grief and shock to this day.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: BBC, Fox News, Business Standard
Find the blogger: Unusha Ahmad
This post is tagged under: Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, assassination, October 31 1984, 2024, 1991, General Elections, campaign, nation, India, PM, political rally, death, welfare, policies, Beant Singh, Satwant Singh, Sikhs
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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