Video: 'ABC News Nightline: Indira Gandhi Assassination — 10/30/84'

(Wednesday, October 31, 1984, 9:20 a.m. India Standard Time) — Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated today at her New Delhi residence by two members of her personal bodyguard.

The assailants, identified by police as Sikhs, shot Gandhi multiple times at close range with a submachine gun and a pistol.

The attack plunged the nation into chaos, with violent reprisals against Sikhs reported across major cities.

Gandhi’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, was swiftly sworn in as her successor, stepping into his mother’s role as prime minister amid a country reeling from her death.

Indira Gandhi was shot by at least eight bullets, according to police sources. She was taken to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences at 9:30 a.m. IST where doctors operated on her.

She was declared dead at 2:20 p.m.

The post-mortem examination determined that Gandhi had sustained as many as 30 bullet wounds from two sources: a Sten submachine gun and a .38 Special revolver.

The assailants had fired 31 bullets at her, of which 30 hit her; 23 had passed through her body while seven remained inside her.

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One of the gunmen was killed by other guards, while the second attacker was captured and remains in critical condition.

The killing is suspected to be an act of religious vengeance, making Gandhi the second Indian leader to be murdered over sectarian strife, following Mohandas Gandhi’s assassination by a Hindu extremist in 1948.

As news of the assassination spread, widespread violence erupted between Hindus and Sikhs. In scenes of horrifying sectarian attacks, Sikhs were targeted on the streets of New Delhi and at least seven other cities.

In several cases, their turbans were set on fire, and brutal beatings were reported.

The Indian military was placed on high alert, and New Delhi was locked down, with roads leading to the capital, Gandhi’s residence, and the hospital where she was taken being sealed off.

Street violence broke out across multiple areas in New Delhi, with concerns that unrest would escalate.

Rajiv Gandhi, 40, addressed the nation for the first time as prime minister, urging for calm and “maximum restraint” amid the chaos. Gandhi’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, where she will be cremated, with many world leaders expected to attend.

Thousands of mourners gathered near Gandhi’s body, which lay in state at a museum that was once her father Jawaharlal Nehru’s residence. Some mourners broke through barricades in their grief, surging toward the site of her final rest.

Video: 'Indira Gandhi: Leading India for Fifteen Years'

Indira Gandhi, 66, had dominated Indian politics for nearly two decades and was considered a significant international leader.

As prime minister, she was known for her fierce leadership and controversial decisions, including the recent military operation at the Golden Temple, a sacred Sikh site, which fueled tensions with Sikh separatists.

Police identified the attackers as Beant Singh, a member of Gandhi’s special security force, and Satwant Singh, a constable from Delhi’s armed police.

Beant Singh was killed at the scene by other guards, while Satwant Singh was apprehended and remains hospitalized. Authorities suspect the assassination was part of a broader conspiracy tied to Sikh separatists.

At the time of her assassination, Gandhi was walking from her residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, a tree-lined boulevard in New Delhi, to her office in the same compound.

She was en route to meet actor Peter Ustinov, who was filming a documentary series featuring her. Ustinov, present during the attack, described hearing gunshots followed by a burst from a submachine gun.

The attack comes in the wake of rising tensions between India’s Sikh minority and the central government, particularly after Gandhi ordered military action in June to flush out armed Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The shrine had been used as a base by separatists seeking autonomy for Punjab, a predominantly Sikh state. The military operation resulted in the deaths of over 600 people, further inflaming anti-government sentiment among Sikhs.

Wednesday’s assassination appeared to trigger a fresh wave of Hindu-Sikh violence. Mobs attacked Sikhs at random, leading to widespread fear and retaliation. Several Sikhs sought refuge in the homes of strangers as rioting intensified in the capital.

Rajiv Gandhi, who was attending a political tour in West Bengal, learned of his mother’s assassination via a radio broadcast.

He was sworn in as India’s sixth Prime Minister just hours after the attack, assuming the mantle of leadership in a ceremony at the presidential palace.

His rapid ascension surprised many, as he had not previously held a Cabinet post, but was widely seen as his mother’s chosen successor following the death of his brother, Sanjay Gandhi, in a plane crash in 1980.

In his first speech as prime minister, Gandhi called for national unity and restraint, warning that violence would dishonor his mother’s memory and “cloud judgment.” He emphasized the importance of facing the crisis with “fortitude, courage, and wisdom.”

The assassination casts a shadow over the upcoming national elections, which must take place by January 20. Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party had been preparing for the elections, but now the timing remains uncertain, with the country in the midst of a political and social crisis.

World leaders, including Pakistan’s President Zia ul-Haq, expressed shock and grief at Gandhi’s death. Tensions between India and Pakistan had recently escalated, with India accusing its neighbor of supporting Sikh separatists in Punjab. Zia, in a statement, called the assassination a “tragedy” and offered condolences.

Indira Gandhi’s death marks a critical turning point in India’s history, as the country grapples with the legacy of her leadership, the violent aftermath of her assassination, and the uncertain future under her son’s leadership.