Pakistan

While walking home from her office, Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her body guards. Her assassins were Sikh extremists retaliating for the raid she ordered on their shrine in Amritsar, which had resulted in the deaths of over a thousand Sikh separatists. Hindu rioting after the assassination killed more than two-thousand Sikhs..

On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, was assassinated while walking home from her office in New Delhi. The assassination was carried out by two of her bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who were both Sikh. Their actions were driven by their extremist views as Sikh separatists seeking revenge for the Indian government's military operation on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.

The Golden Temple, considered the holiest Sikh shrine, had become a focal point for Sikh separatist movements. In June 1984, the Indian government, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, ordered a military operation named Operation Blue Star to flush out armed Sikh militants who had fortified themselves within the temple complex. The operation resulted in a tragic loss of lives, including many civilians, and significant damage to the shrine.

The assassination of Indira Gandhi was seen as a response to the perceived injustice and sacrilege committed during the Operation Blue Star. The two bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who were part of her security detail, took advantage of their proximity to carry out the act. They opened fire on Indira Gandhi, fatally shooting her.

The aftermath of the assassination plunged the nation into chaos and violence. Following the news of Indira Gandhi's assassination, widespread anti-Sikh riots erupted in several parts of India. These riots were fueled by communal tensions and carried out by Hindu mobs who sought revenge against the Sikh community as a whole for the actions of the assassins.

The riots resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs, with estimates varying between two and three thousand individuals. Countless Sikh homes, businesses, and Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) were targeted, looted, and destroyed during the violence. The horrific events of the anti-Sikh riots left a lasting scar on the nation and highlighted the deep-rooted communal tensions that existed in India at that time.