bls31
October 31st, 2015, 09:20 AM
The Black Tuesday
I
t was on 31st October 1984 when just back from the tour and busy finalising the report that one of the staff came rushing in my office in Sena Bhawan blurting the incredible news in an agitated voice ‘Mrs Gandhi has been shot’. Though stunned I refused to believe it and told him not to spread rumours. However, it was true she had been shot and that too by her own guards.
Early morning, the next day, coming out of my house in Dhaula Kuan Part II, I noticed in far-distance large columns of smoke bellowing high in the sky. Alarmed I rang up Gyan Bains the Commander, a Sikh Brigadier, of a unit technically under me albeit administratively under Delhi Area.
‘…What are you doing sitting there with Delhi burning’ I asked in an agitated voice.
‘We are preparing for Mrs Gandhi's funeral’ was the reply I got.
Feeling helpless and traumatised, that was the sum total of my initiative on that fateful day
[1] (http://www.jatland.com/forums/#_ftn1)I was also destined to play a minuscule role in this sad and sordid episode in standing as part of an inter-service guard along with another officer of my rank, in shifts. The body of Indra Gandhi lying in state in Teen Murty Bhawan, me blankly watching, the unending line of humanity with people with folded hands and agony written on their faces silently and slowly shuffle by.
[1] (http://www.jatland.com/forums/#_ftnref1) Indira Gandhi had numerous bodyguards, two of whom were Satwant Singh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satwant_Singh) and Beant Singh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beant_Singh), both Sikhs. On October 31 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_31), 1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984) they assassinated Indira Gandhi with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1, Safdarjung Road in New Delhi. As she was walking to be interviewed by the British (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain) actor Peter Ustinov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ustinov) filming a documentary for Irish television, she passed a wicket gate, guarded by Satwant and Beant. According to information available immediately following the incident, Beant Singh shot her thrice using his side-arm and Satwant Singh fired twenty-two rounds into her using a Sten submachine gun. Beant Singh was shot dead and Satwant Singh was shot and arrested (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested) by her other bodyguards.. After her death, sectarian unrest engulfed New Delhi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Delhi) and several other cities in India, including Kanpur, Asansol and Indore, leading to the death of thousands of Sikhs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs).
I
t was on 31st October 1984 when just back from the tour and busy finalising the report that one of the staff came rushing in my office in Sena Bhawan blurting the incredible news in an agitated voice ‘Mrs Gandhi has been shot’. Though stunned I refused to believe it and told him not to spread rumours. However, it was true she had been shot and that too by her own guards.
Early morning, the next day, coming out of my house in Dhaula Kuan Part II, I noticed in far-distance large columns of smoke bellowing high in the sky. Alarmed I rang up Gyan Bains the Commander, a Sikh Brigadier, of a unit technically under me albeit administratively under Delhi Area.
‘…What are you doing sitting there with Delhi burning’ I asked in an agitated voice.
‘We are preparing for Mrs Gandhi's funeral’ was the reply I got.
Feeling helpless and traumatised, that was the sum total of my initiative on that fateful day
[1] (http://www.jatland.com/forums/#_ftn1)I was also destined to play a minuscule role in this sad and sordid episode in standing as part of an inter-service guard along with another officer of my rank, in shifts. The body of Indra Gandhi lying in state in Teen Murty Bhawan, me blankly watching, the unending line of humanity with people with folded hands and agony written on their faces silently and slowly shuffle by.
[1] (http://www.jatland.com/forums/#_ftnref1) Indira Gandhi had numerous bodyguards, two of whom were Satwant Singh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satwant_Singh) and Beant Singh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beant_Singh), both Sikhs. On October 31 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_31), 1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984) they assassinated Indira Gandhi with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1, Safdarjung Road in New Delhi. As she was walking to be interviewed by the British (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain) actor Peter Ustinov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ustinov) filming a documentary for Irish television, she passed a wicket gate, guarded by Satwant and Beant. According to information available immediately following the incident, Beant Singh shot her thrice using his side-arm and Satwant Singh fired twenty-two rounds into her using a Sten submachine gun. Beant Singh was shot dead and Satwant Singh was shot and arrested (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested) by her other bodyguards.. After her death, sectarian unrest engulfed New Delhi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Delhi) and several other cities in India, including Kanpur, Asansol and Indore, leading to the death of thousands of Sikhs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs).