Indira Gandhi 35th Death Anniversary: Former PM Gave Long Goodbye Kisses To Rahul Gandhi And Priyanka Gandhi Hours Before Being Shot Dead

It was exactly 35 years ago, on October 31, 1984, that the country woke up to the news of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s unfortunate assassination. Gandhi was shot by her bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. This tragedy took the entire nation by storm and had the headlines ringing for months. Well, people often talk about the reason and conspiracies behind Indira Gandhi’s assassination this piece, however, will give you a rundown of Gandhi’s final moments before her death.

As per a News18 report, Indira Gandhi, on the morning of October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi gave goodbye kisses to her grandchildren – Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi – before their left for school. “Priyanka noticed that her grandmother held her longer than usual. Indira then moved to Rahul who was barely 14. The grandmother used to talk to them about subjects that she often avoided discussing with son Rajiv or daughter-in-law Sonia,” wrote the author. Coincidentally, Indira Gandhi even discussed her death with then fourteen-year-old Rahul and, before that, she talked to him about her funeral arrangements. The author added, “She had asked young Rahul to ‘take charge’ and not cry in the event of her death.”

It was in October 1984 that Indira wrote that if she dies a violent death, it should be in the thought of her assassination and not in her death. “For no hate is dark enough to overshadow the extent of my love for the people and my country, no force is strong enough to divert me from that purpose and my endeavour to take this country forward,” wrote the former Prime Minister. (ALSO READ - Sanjay Dutt-Raveena Tandon To Reunite For K.G.F Sequel? Actress May Play Indira Gandhi)

Before her death, Indira commenced the day by giving an interview to Peter Ustinov. Before which, she took a stroll, as she crossed the gate wicket gate between her home to her office, Indira also reciprocated to the greetings by a turbaned security guard. However, destiny had some other plans and that was the moment when Indira lost her life. “As she smiled back, Indira saw him training his gun on her. Narain Singh, who was holding an umbrella over Indira, shouted for help. But before the guards of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) could reach the spot, assassins Beant Singh and Satwant Singh had pumped 36 bullets into the prime minister,” wrote the author. Gandhi was declared ‘dead on arrival’.

Sometime before the dark day, Indira was even advised to start wearing a bulletproof jacket and get rid of her Sikh bodyguards; however, she denied. As per Indira, it wasn’t fair to discriminate against her security and that she didn’t approve of wearing a heavy bulletproof jacket at home. Talking about the irony of this unfortunate situation, the author, in his piece, added, “In fact, a few weeks before, Indira had rather proudly pointed at Beant Singh saying, “When I have Sikhs like him around me, I do not have to fear about anything.”

Indira’s daughter-in-law and Congress head Sonia Gandhi had just finished washing her hair when she heard the brutal gunshots. “Initially, she could not identify the sound. It sounded like someone had burst Diwali crackers at a very short distance, but was peculiarly different.”