Satwant Singh Bhakar (1962 – 6 January 1989) was one of the bodyguards, along with
Beant Singh, who
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
the
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
,
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
, at her
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
residence on 31 October 1984.
Assassination
The motivation for the
assassination of Indira Gandhi
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 Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, an I ...
was revenge for the military attack carried out by the Indian government on
Harmandir Sahib, in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
, India.
Beant Singh drew a .38 revolver and fired three shots into
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
's abdomen; as she fell to the ground, Satwant Singh fired all 30 rounds from his Sten automatic weapon into her abdomen (thus, 33 bullets were fired in total, of which 30 bullets hit her). Both assassins subsequently dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Beant Singh was shot to death during interrogation in custody soon after the assassination. Satwant Singh was arrested and later sentenced to death by hanging along with co-conspirator
Kehar Singh
Kehar Singh (Punjabi: ਕੇਹਰ ਸਿੰਘ, Kehar Singh) was an Assistant (the name of the post later termed as Assistant Section Officer) in the erstwhile Directorate General of Supply and Disposal, New Delhi, and was tried and execut ...
. In his court statement, Satwant Singh appealed for end to communal violence in the country, while pinning the blame for the same on Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. The sentence was carried out on 6 January 1989.
Aftermath
The assassination of Gandhi brought their immediate families into the limelight, resulting in their winning two
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
seats from state of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. The Lok Sabha is a directly elected 543 member house of the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
.
In the aftermath of the executions of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, communal violence occurred in Punjab, resulting in 14 Hindus being killed by militants.
In 2003, a
Bhog
''Bhog'' (n. 'pleasure' or 'delight', v. 'to end' or 'to conclude') is a term used in Hinduism and Sikhism. In Sikhism, it is used for observances that are fulfilled along with the reading of the concluding part of the Guru Granth Sahib. It can b ...
ceremony was held at the highest Sikh temporal seat in
Akal Takht
The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...
, located in the Golden Temple Complex in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
, where tributes were paid to Indira Gandhi's assassins.
In 2004, the anniversary of his death was again observed at
Akal Takhat
The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...
, Amritsar, where his mother was honored by the head priest and tributes were paid to Satwant Singh and
Kehar Singh
Kehar Singh (Punjabi: ਕੇਹਰ ਸਿੰਘ, Kehar Singh) was an Assistant (the name of the post later termed as Assistant Section Officer) in the erstwhile Directorate General of Supply and Disposal, New Delhi, and was tried and execut ...
by various political parties.
In 2007, the death anniversaries of Satwant Singh and his wife were observed in various parts of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and other countries. On 6 January 2008, the
Akal Takht
The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...
declared Beant Singh and Satwant Singh "martyrs of Sikhism",
while the
SGPC
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; "Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee") is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union ...
also labeled them "martyrs of the Sikh nation".
The Sikh-centric political party in India,
Shiromani Akali Dal
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are many ...
, observed the death anniversary of Beant Singh and Satwant Singh as "martyrdom" for the first time on 31 October 2008. Every 31 October since, this date has been observed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
A film called ''
Kaum de Heere'' was made about him in 2014.
Personal life
Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.
He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in prison. His fiancé wed him in absentia by marrying his photo in an
Anand Karaj
Anand Karaj ( pa, ਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ ānada kāraja) is the Sikh marriage ceremony, meaning "Act towards happiness" or "Act towards happy life", that was introduced by Guru Amar Das. The four '' laavaan'' (hymns which take place during ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Satwant
1962 births
1989 deaths
People executed by India by hanging
People from Gurdaspur
Executed Indian people
Indian Sikhs
20th-century executions by India
People convicted of murder by India
Executed assassins
Assassins of heads of government
Punjabi people
Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Inmates of Tihar Jail
Bodyguards
Security guards convicted of crimes
1984 murders in India
People executed for murder