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 ...

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 (; ''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 and was al ...

, 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 Hous ...

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, ...

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 ...

, India. Beant Singh drew a .38 revolver and fired three shots into

'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-p ...

seats from state of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

. The Lok Sabha is a directly elected 543 member house of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of ...

. 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 ...

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

, 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 Takht (Sikhism), 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 Bun ...

, Amritsar, where his mother was honored by the head priest and tributes were paid to Satwant Singh and

by various political parties. In 2007, the death anniversaries of Satwant Singh and his wife were observed in various parts of

and other countries. On 6 January 2008, the

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 unio ...

also labeled them "martyrs of the Sikh nation". The Sikh-centric political party in India, Shiromani Akali Dal, 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