New Delhi: Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from 1966 and 1977 and was reportedly the most powerful woman in the world during her time. She is the only female Prime Minister of India to date and is one of the most talked-about figures in the annals of Indian politics. Her tenure at the helm is said to be one of the defining moments in the history of Independent India.
As the leader of the Congress and the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was a central figure in Indian politics. Notably, Indira was Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter, the first prime minister of India, and also the mother of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her in office as the sixth PM of India. Indira Gandhi served in the office of PM for a tenure of 15 years and 350 days and is one of the longest-serving PMs in the country’s history. She was called an “Iron Lady” by Henry Kissinger, the famous American diplomat.
How was Indira Gandhi assassinated?
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was shot dead by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh at the the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi. It was allegedly as revenge for Operation Blue Star, which was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between June 1 and June 10, 1984, to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple. Sikhs all over the world criticised the military action in the temple complex and they took it as an assault on the Sikh religion and the entire Sikh community.
Indira Gandhi was shot at her official residence and she was supposed to be interviewed by the British filmmaker Peter Ustinov that day. While Beant shot her three times, Satwant fired 30 rounds at her. Right after the shooting, they surrendered. Afterwards, other guards took them into a closed room where Beant was shot dead. Later, Kehar Singh was arrested and he and Satwant were sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
What happened after the assassination of Indira Gandhi?
The assassination of Indira Gandhi changed the political landscape of India and it triggered chaos. Her son Rajiv Gandhi succeeded as the next PM of India within hours of her murder and the country was embroiled in anti-Sikh riots. The riots went on for several days and led to the death of over 3,000 Sikhs in New Delhi and an estimated 8,000 across India.
