Learn how Indira Gandhi , the first and only female Prime Minister of India, was shot dead by her own bodyguards on 31 October 1984. Read the details of her last speech, the shooting incident, the aftermath and the world reaction. Later in the day, Indira Gandhi was to meet James Callaghan, former prime minister of Britain. He was succeeded by Margaret Thatcher, who was the prime minister of Britain when Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984. In the evening, Indira Gandhi was to host a dinner for British princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. What happened on Oct 31, 1984: Recalling the assassination of Indira Gandhi 39 years ago, India’s Prime Minister was assassinated by her own security guards in the aftermath of the Army action at the holy Golden Temple. What happened on that fateful day, and afterward? Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi [b] (née Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) [2] was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and only female prime minister as of 2025, and a central figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, and the mother of ...
