One of the strongest political leaders of Independent India, Indira Gandhi was the first woman to hold the office of the Prime Minister. Considered a hero by her supporters and cursed by her enemies, she paved the way for democracy in India during the twentieth century.
A day before Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead, she told a public rally that “If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation”.
She was assassinated on October 31, 1984, near her Delhi residence by two Sikh security guards who wanted vengeance for authourising a military attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar five months earlier.
Riots erupted following her murder, as Hindus took their revenge on Sikhs.
Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister three times and the dominant figure in India for almost two decades.
At age 48, she became India’s first woman prime minister.
Indira Gandhi is credited with the abolition of the princely privy purses, nationalisation of banks and providing a strong leadership during the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Her decision to impose internal emergency in 1975 following a court verdict unseating her from power drew widespread criticism.
Her son Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as her successor within hours of her death. He went on to win a landslide victory in the general election in December 1984.
Rajiv Gandhi was himself assassinated by a suicide bomber on 21 May 1991.
