List of assassination attempts on the prime ministers of India
The Indira Gandhi Memorial at Delhi marks the site of the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
There have been numerous assassination attempts on the prime ministers of India. The prime minister is the executive head of the Union Government of India, and is usually the most powerful person in the country.
Three prime ministers, namely Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi (former prime minister) have been assassinated.
Assassinated prime ministers[]
| Name | Date | Place | Type | Assassin(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 11 January 1966 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Poisoning | Unknown |
| Indira Gandhi | 31 October 1984 | New Delhi, India | Shooting | Main convicts:
Co-conspirator: |
| Rajiv Gandhi
(former prime minister) |
21 May 1991 | Thiruperumbudur, India | Suicide bombing | Main convict:
Co-conspirators: |
Assassination attempts and plots[]
Jawaharlal Nehru[]
- 1947: Assassination attempt (as head of the Interim Government) during the partition of India while he was visiting the North-West Frontier Province in a car.[1][2]
- 4 May 1953: An alleged attempt to bomb the Bombay–Amritsar Express in which Nehru was travelling was thwarted when the police discovered two men crouched near the railway tracks in Kalyan, Bombay State.[3][4] It was later discovered that the object initially thought of as a bomb was a cracker and the attackers had only intended to cause a sensation.[3]
- 30 September 1961: A failed bombing attempt on train tracks in Maharashtra on a route to be followed by the Prime Minister.[5]
Rajiv Gandhi[]
- 14 May 1985: 2 Sikh men in the United States hid in a tree for 3 days although not successful as FBI foiled the plot.
- 16 June 1986: 4 Sikhs were jailed for trying to assasinate Rajiv Gandhi in Leicester, it was not successful.
- 2 October 1986: Karamjit Singh, a Sikh gunman, fired rounds from an improvised, homemade firearm at Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Delhi, while he was leaving the Raj Ghat.[6]
- 30 July 1987 A Sri Lankan Navy sailor Wijemuni Vijitha Rohana de Silva hit Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with his rifle butt in Colombo, while he was inspecting Guard of Honour at Sri Lankan President’s House at Colombo.[7]
Narendra Modi[]
- 27 October 2013: 2013 Patna bombings, IED bombings by the Indian Mujahideen targeting a rally by Bharatiya Janata Party Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.[8]
See also[]
- List of assassinations in Asia#India
- List of assassinated Indian politicians
- Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
References[]
- ^ Mathai, M. O. (1978). Reminiscences of the Nehru Age.
- ^ Dutta, Prabhash K. "Nehru might be assassinated, a fear that kept Sardar Patel awake: 4 foiled plots". India Today. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ a b Kothari, Urvish (2018-12-28). "The many plots to kill Jawaharlal Nehru from 1948 to 1955". ThePrint. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Policeman foils attempt to bomb Nehru's train". The New York Times. 5 May 1953.
- ^ "Bomb Explodes on Nehru's Route". Toledo Blade. 30 September 1961. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ Weintraub, Richard M. (1986-10-03). "Gandhi Unhurt in Apparent Assassination Attempt". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "No regrets for attack on Rajiv, says Lankan guard". The New Indian Express. 2013-08-30. Archived from the original on 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Balwani, Shikhar. "Indian City of Patna Targeted as Bombings Kill Five". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
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|---|---|---|
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Categories:
- Lists of assassinations
- Lists relating to prime ministers of India
- Assassinations in India
- Lists of events in India
- Lists of Indian people
- Failed assassination attempts
- Lists of survivors
- Lists of victims of crimes
- Failed assassination attempts in Asia