Beant Singh (assassin)

For other uses, see Beant Singh (disambiguation).

Beant Singh (6 January 1959 – 31 October 1984) was one of the bodyguards along with Satwant Singh, who assassinated the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, at her New Delhi residence on 31 October 1984.^[2]

Beant Singh
Born	Beant Singh (1959-01-06)6 January 1959 Jaitu, East Punjab, India
Died	31 October 1984(1984-10-31) (aged 25) New Delhi, India
Cause of death	Shot by police officers after assassinating Indira Gandhi
Occupation	Bodyguard of the Prime Minister of India
Employer	Government of India
Title	Quomi Shaheed (National Martyr) by Akal Takht^[1]
Criminal charge	Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Spouse	Bimal Kaur Khalsa ​ (m. 1976)​
Parent	Baba Sucha Singh (father)

Early life and family

 

Photograph of Beant Singh in ceremonial garb

Beant Singh was born in a Ramdasia Sikh^[3] to Baba Sucha Singh and Kartar Kaur.

Singh's widow Bimal Kaur Khalsa initially joined the Sikh militant group,^[4] and then got imprisoned. Later she was elected from Ropar Constituency. His father, Baba Sucha Singh, was also an elected member of the Lok Sabha from Bathinda (Lok Sabha constituency).^[5][6][7]

Their son Sarbjit Singh is a leader of SAD (Mann).^{[citation needed]}

Assassination of Indira Gandhi and death

Main article: Assassination of Indira Gandhi

The motivation for the assassination of Indira Gandhi was revenge for the Operation Bluestar carried out by the Indian government in Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar, India.

Gandhi passed a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant Singh, and the two men opened fire. Beant fired three rounds into her abdomen from his .38 (9.7 mm) revolver, then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his Sterling sub-machine gun after she had fallen to the ground. Both men then threw down their weapons, and Beant said "I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do." In the next six minutes, Border Police officers Tarsem Singh Jamwal and Ram Saran captured and killed Beant because one of the guards was using derogatory words against the Sikh community which prompted Beant Singh to empty a pitcher of water on the guard, and in return other guards shot Beant Singh to death, while Satwant was arrested by Gandhi's other bodyguards. Both Satwant Singh and Beant Singh never tried to run away from the guards or the custody; Satwant Singh was seriously wounded by the guards. Satwant Singh was hanged in 1989 with accomplice Kehar Singh.

Legacy

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.

In 2004, his death anniversary was again observed at Akal Takht, Amritsar, where his mother was honored by the head priest and tributes were paid to Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh by various political parties.^[8]

On 6 January 2008, the Akal Takht declared Beant Singh and Satwant Singh 'martyrs of Sikhism',^[9][10][11]

Shiromani Akali Dal, the Sikhism-centric political party in India, observed the death anniversary of Beant Singh and Satwant Singh as 'martyrdom' for the first time on 31 October 2008;^[12] every 31 October since, their 'martyrdom day' has been observed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.^[13]

References

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. from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
3. Singh, Pukhraj. "Bluestar Baby Boomers". Newslaundry. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
4. "Sikhs Sought in Slaying". The New York Times. India; Amritsar (India). 6 June 1986. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
5. Crossette, Barbara (22 December 1989). "India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
6. MyNews.in. . MyNews.in. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
7. . Indiaenews.com. 28 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
8. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
9. "Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. 7 January 2003.
10. . The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 January 2003. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
11. "Indira assassin 'great martyr': Vedanti". The Indian Express. 7 January 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
12. "Chandigarh, India - Bathinda Edition". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
13. "Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. 1 November 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2018.