Q. Who were the assassins

Indira Gandhi's assassins were two of her own security guards: Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, both members of the Sikh community. Beant Singh was a sub-inspector in the Delhi Police who had been part of Indira Gandhi's security detail for several years and was considered a trusted member of her protection team. Satwant Singh was a constable who had joined her security detail more recently. Both men were motivated by deep resentment over Operation Blue Star, the military action ordered by Indira Gandhi in June 1984 to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which resulted in significant casualties and damage to Sikhism's holiest shrine.

On the morning of October 31, 1984, as Indira Gandhi walked through her garden at 1 Safdarjung Road to meet British actor Peter Ustinov for an interview, Beant Singh greeted her with a traditional salute before pulling out his revolver and shooting her three times. Satwant Singh immediately followed with a burst from his automatic weapon. After the shooting, Beant Singh reportedly said "I have done what I had to do. You do what you have to do." Both assassins were immediately apprehended by other security personnel. During the arrest, Beant Singh was shot and killed by other guards, while Satwant Singh was wounded and captured. Satwant Singh was later tried, convicted, and executed by hanging in January 1989 along with co-conspirator Kehar Singh, who was found guilty of being part of the assassination plot.