Satwant Singh
Born
Satwant Singh

1962
Agwan, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, Punjab
Died6 January 1989(1989-01-06) (aged 26–27)
Tihar Jail, New Delhi, India
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
OccupationBodyguard of the Prime Minister of India
EmployerGovernment of India
TitleQuomi Shaheed (martyr of the community) by Akal Takht[1]
Criminal statusExecuted
Spouse
Surinder Kaur
​
​
(m. 1988; died- had cancer 2011)​
Parent(s)Tarlok Singh (father)
Pyar Kaur (mother)
Conviction(s)Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Criminal penaltyDeath

Satwant Singh (1962 – 6 January 1989) was one of the bodyguards, along with Beant Singh, who assassinated the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, at her New Delhi residence on 31 October 1984. His attacks were in retaliation of Indira Gandhi's Operation Blue Star.[2]

Assassination

The motivation for the assassination of Indira Gandhi was revenge for the military operation carried out by the Indian government on Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar, India.[3][4][5][6]

Beant Singh drew a .38 revolver and fired three shots into Indira Gandhi's abdomen; as she fell to the ground, Satwant Singh fired all 30 rounds from his Sten submachine gun into her abdomen (thus, 33 bullets were fired in total, of which 30 bullets hit her). Both assassins subsequently dropped their weapons and surrendered.[7][8]

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. 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 execution was carried out on 6 January 1989.[9]

Aftermath

The assassination of Gandhi brought their immediate families into the limelight,[10] resulting in their winning two Lok Sabha seats from state of Punjab.[11] The Lok Sabha is a directly elected 543 member house of the Parliament of India.

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.[12] In 2003, a Bhog ceremony was held at the highest Sikh temporal seat in Akal Takht, located in the Golden Temple Complex in Amritsar, where tributes were paid to Indira Gandhi's assassins.[13]

In 2004, the anniversary of his death was again observed at Akal Takhat, Amritsar, where his mother was honored by the head priest and tributes were paid to Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh by various political parties.[14] In 2007, the death anniversaries of Satwant Singh and his wife were observed in various parts of Punjab and other countries. On 6 January 2008, the Akal Takht declared Beant Singh and Satwant Singh "martyrs of Sikhism",[13][15][16] while the SGPC 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.[17] Every 31 October since, this date has been observed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.[18]

A film called Kaum de Heere was made about him in 2014.[19]

Personal life

Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.[14] He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in prison.[20] His fiancé wed him in absentia by marrying his photo in an Anand Karaj.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ "Sri Akal Takht Sahib honours Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh". SinghStation. 6 January 2014. Subsequently, the Akal Takht and the SGPC, granted Beant Singh, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, the status of "quami shaheed" (martyrs of the community). Their portraits have also been displayed at the Sikh Museum inside the Golden Temple complex. Their relatives have been honoured at Akal Takht at every anniversary of their execution, for the last 24 years.
  2. ^ "1984: Assassination and revenge". BBC News. 31 October 1984. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Why Osama resembles Bhindranwale". Rediff. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  4. ^ Crenshaw, Martha (2010). Terrorism in Context. Penn State Press. p. 381. ISBN 9780271044422. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism". Dnaindia.com. 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  6. ^ Swami, Praveen (16 January 2014). "RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  7. ^ Smith, William E. (12 November 1984). "Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden". Time. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  8. ^ Cynthia Keppley Mahmood, Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (November 1996). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants. ISBN 978-0812215922. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Indian prime minister shot dead". BBC.
  10. ^ "SAMRALA INDIA Widow of Mrs. Gandhi's Killer Seeks Seat in Parliament by Richard S Ehrlich". Geocities.com. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  11. ^ "India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead". The New York Times. 22 December 1989. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Sikhs Kill 14 Hindus After Executions in India". The New York Times. Reuters. 8 January 1989. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  13. ^ a b "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. 7 January 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  14. ^ a b "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  15. ^ "Indira Gandhi killers labelled martyrs". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  16. ^ "Indira assassin 'great martyr': Vedanti". The Indian Express. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  17. ^ "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  18. ^ "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  19. ^ "The Tribune".
  20. ^ "Indira Gandhi Killers To Be Hanged Friday - New York Times". The New York Times. 1 December 1988. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  21. ^ "STLtoday.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 9 June 1988. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Miami Herald: Search Results". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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