Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Oct. 31, 2024.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India for 15 years, was assassinated in New Delhi by two of her own bodyguards on Oct. 31, 1984.

According to historians, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, both Sikhs, shot Gandhi as she walked to her office from an adjoining bungalow. Although the two assailants immediately surrendered, they were both shot in a subsequent scuffle, and Beant Singh died. Satwant Singh was later executed.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, attempted to forge a unified nation out of the many religious, ethnic and cultural factions that existed under British rule until 1949. His daughter, Indira Gandhi (no rel

See Full Page