Indira Gandhi Assassinated: India Plunges Into Riots
Indira Gandhi was walking from her residence to an interview with Peter Ustinov on the morning of October 31, 1984, when two of her Sikh bodyguards opened fire. Satwant Singh fired 30 rounds from a Sten gun. Beant Singh drew his service revolver and fired three times at close range. Gandhi had been warned repeatedly to remove Sikh guards after ordering the Indian Army to storm the Golden Temple in Amritsar five months earlier, an operation that killed hundreds of Sikh militants and civilians. She refused, reportedly saying 'If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation.' Her assassination triggered anti-Sikh riots across India in which an estimated 3,000 Sikhs were murdered over four days, many in organized attacks that Congress Party officials were later found to have directed.
October 31, 1984
42 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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