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{{Short description|Sikh bodyguard and assassin of Indira Gandhi (1962–1989)}}
{{Short description|Assassin of Indira Gandhi (1962–1989)}}
{{For|the rally driver|Satwant Singh (rally driver)}}
{{For|the rally driver|Satwant Singh (rally driver)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
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| employer = [[Government of India]]
| employer = [[Government of India]]
| criminal_penalty = [[Capital punishment in India|Death]]
| criminal_penalty = [[Capital punishment in India|Death]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Surinder Kaur|1988|2011|reason=died- had cancer}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Surinder Kaur|1988|1989}}
| awards =
| awards =
| parents = Tarlok Singh (father)<br>Pyar Kaur (mother)
| parents =
| conviction = [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi]]
| conviction = [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi]]
| conviction_status = [[Executed]]
| conviction_status = [[Executed]]
| image = Photograph_of_Satwant_Singh,_one_of_two_assassins_of_Indira_Gandhi.jpg
| image = Photograph_of_Satwant_Singh,_one_of_two_assassins_of_Indira_Gandhi.jpg
| title = ''Quomi [[Shaheed]]'' (martyr of the community) by [[Akal Takht]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Sri Akal Takht Sahib honours Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh |url=https://singhstation.net/2014/01/sri-akal-takht-sahib-honours-bhai-satwant-singh-and-bhai-kehar-singh/ |website=SinghStation |date=6 January 2014 |quote=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.}}</ref>
| title = ''Quomi [[Shaheed]]'' (National Martyr) by [[Akal Takht]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Sri Akal Takht Sahib honours Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh |url=https://singhstation.net/2014/01/sri-akal-takht-sahib-honours-bhai-satwant-singh-and-bhai-kehar-singh/ |website=SinghStation |date=6 January 2014 |quote=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.}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Satwant Singh''' (1962 – 6 January 1989) was Born in 1962 in [[Bajwa]] [[Jat Sikh|Jat sikh]] family he one of the bodyguards, along with [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]], who [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassinated]] the [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Indira Gandhi]], at her [[New Delhi]] residence on 31 October 1984.<ref name="bbconthisday2">{{cite news |date=31 October 1984 |title=1984: Assassination and revenge |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref>
'''Satwant Singh''' (1962 – 6 January 1989) was one of the bodyguards, along with [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]], who [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|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]].<ref name="bbconthisday2">{{cite news |date=31 October 1984 |title=1984: Assassination and revenge |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref>


==Assassination==
==Assassination==
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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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=William E.|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110185009/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2007|title=Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden|publisher=Time|date=12 November 1984|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>Cynthia Keppley Mahmood, {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QufTc6fAocC&dq=Satwant+Singh+indira&pg=RA1-PA135|title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants|access-date=19 January 2013|isbn=978-0812215922|last1=Mahmood|first1=Cynthia Keppley|date=November 1996}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=William E.|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110185009/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2007|title=Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden|publisher=Time|date=12 November 1984|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>Cynthia Keppley Mahmood, {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QufTc6fAocC&dq=Satwant+Singh+indira&pg=RA1-PA135|title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants|access-date=19 January 2013|isbn=978-0812215922|last1=Mahmood|first1=Cynthia Keppley|date=November 1996}}</ref>


[[Beant Singh (assassin)|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/31/newsid_2464000/2464423.stm|title=Indian prime minister shot dead|publisher=BBC}}</ref>
[[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]] was immediately shot to death by other guards present. 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/31/newsid_2464000/2464423.stm|title=Indian prime minister shot dead|publisher=BBC}}</ref>


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
The assassination of Gandhi, marked the start of a 3 day riots against Sikhs perpretated across India in which 3000 sikhs were killed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Simran Jeet |date=2014-10-31 |title=It's Time India Accept Responsibility for its 1984 Sikh Genocide |url=https://time.com/3545867/india-1984-sikh-genocide-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=TIME |language=en}}</ref>

The assassination of Gandhi brought their immediate families into the limelight,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/asia_correspondent/india89assassinwifewt.html|title=SAMRALA INDIA Widow of Mrs. Gandhi's Killer Seeks Seat in Parliament by Richard S Ehrlich|date=26 October 2009|website=Geocities.com|access-date=2 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026145354/http://www.geocities.com/asia_correspondent/india89assassinwifewt.html|archive-date=26 October 2009}}</ref> resulting in their winning two [[Lok Sabha]] seats from state of [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/22/world/india-s-new-chief-given-a-go-ahead.html|title=India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 December 1989|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> The Lok Sabha is a directly elected 543 member house of the [[Parliament of India]].
The assassination of Gandhi brought their immediate families into the limelight,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/asia_correspondent/india89assassinwifewt.html|title=SAMRALA INDIA Widow of Mrs. Gandhi's Killer Seeks Seat in Parliament by Richard S Ehrlich|date=26 October 2009|website=Geocities.com|access-date=2 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026145354/http://www.geocities.com/asia_correspondent/india89assassinwifewt.html|archive-date=26 October 2009}}</ref> resulting in their winning two [[Lok Sabha]] seats from state of [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/22/world/india-s-new-chief-given-a-go-ahead.html|title=India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 December 1989|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/08/world/sikhs-kill-14-hindus-after-executions-in-india.html|title=Sikhs Kill 14 Hindus After Executions in India|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=8 January 1989|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/08/world/sikhs-kill-14-hindus-after-executions-in-india.html|title=Sikhs Kill 14 Hindus After Executions in India|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=8 January 1989|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=City of the Djinns|author=William Darlympal}}</ref>
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.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030107/punjab1.htm#19|title=The Tribune|publisher=Tribuneindia.com|date=7 January 2003|access-date=13 October 2012}}</ref>
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.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030107/punjab1.htm#19|title=The Tribune|publisher=Tribuneindia.com|date=7 January 2003|access-date=13 October 2012}}</ref>


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==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.<ref name="tribuneindia2004"/> He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/01/world/indira-gandhi-killers-to-be-hanged-friday.html|title=Indira Gandhi Killers To Be Hanged Friday - New York Times|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1 December 1988|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> His fiancé wed him in absentia by marrying his photo in an [[Anand Karaj]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB327F5ABACEE6D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=STLtoday.com|publisher=Nl.newsbank.com|date=9 June 1988|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB33870521ECEF3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Miami Herald: Search Results|website=nl.newsbank.com|access-date=2 August 2017}}</ref>
Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.<ref name="tribuneindia2004"/> He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/01/world/indira-gandhi-killers-to-be-hanged-friday.html|title=Indira Gandhi Killers To Be Hanged Friday - New York Times|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1 December 1988|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> His fiancé wed him in absentia by "marrying" his photo in an [[Anand Karaj]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB327F5ABACEE6D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=STLtoday.com|publisher=Nl.newsbank.com|date=9 June 1988|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB33870521ECEF3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Miami Herald: Search Results|website=nl.newsbank.com|access-date=2 August 2017}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Khalistan movement}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Satwant}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Satwant}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:People from Gurdaspur]]
[[Category:People from Gurdaspur]]
[[Category:Executed Indian people]]
[[Category:Executed Indian people]]
[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]
[[Category:Indian assassins]]
[[Category:Punjabi Sikhs]]
[[Category:Indian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:20th-century executions by India]]
[[Category:20th-century executions by India]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by India]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by India]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:Executed assassins]]
[[Category:Executed assassins]]
[[Category:Assassins of heads of government]]
[[Category:Assassins of heads of government]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Assassination of Indira Gandhi]]
[[Category:Assassination of Indira Gandhi]]
[[Category:Inmates of Tihar Jail]]
[[Category:Inmates of Tihar Jail]]
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[[Category:Security guards convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Security guards convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:1984 murders in India]]
[[Category:1984 murders in India]]
[[Category:Khalistan movement people]]

Latest revision as of 07:52, 31 October 2024

Satwant Singh
Born
Satwant Singh

1962
Died6 January 1989(1989-01-06) (aged 26–27)
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
OccupationBodyguard of the Prime Minister of India
EmployerGovernment of India
TitleQuomi Shaheed (National Martyr) by Akal Takht[1]
Criminal statusExecuted
Spouse
Surinder Kaur
(m. 1988⁠–⁠1989)
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

[edit]

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 immediately shot to death by other guards present. 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

[edit]

The assassination of Gandhi, marked the start of a 3 day riots against Sikhs perpretated across India in which 3000 sikhs were killed.[10]

The assassination of Gandhi brought their immediate families into the limelight,[11] resulting in their winning two Lok Sabha seats from state of Punjab.[12] 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.[13][14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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",[15][17][18] 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.[19] Every 31 October since, this date has been observed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.[20]

A film called Kaum de Heere was made about him in 2014.[21]

Personal life

[edit]

Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.[16] He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in prison.[22] His fiancé wed him in absentia by "marrying" his photo in an Anand Karaj.[23][24]

References

[edit]
  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. ^ Singh, Simran Jeet (31 October 2014). "It's Time India Accept Responsibility for its 1984 Sikh Genocide". TIME. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead". The New York Times. 22 December 1989. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Sikhs Kill 14 Hindus After Executions in India". The New York Times. Reuters. 8 January 1989. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ^ William Darlympal. City of the Djinns.
  15. ^ a b "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. 7 January 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  16. ^ a b "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Indira Gandhi killers labelled martyrs". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Indira assassin 'great martyr': Vedanti". The Indian Express. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  19. ^ "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  20. ^ "The Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  21. ^ "The Tribune".
  22. ^ "Indira Gandhi Killers To Be Hanged Friday - New York Times". The New York Times. 1 December 1988. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  23. ^ "STLtoday.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 9 June 1988. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  24. ^ "Miami Herald: Search Results". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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