World
The Mystery of Indira Gandhi's assassination by her own bodyguards
Indira Gandhi, a prominent Indian politician and the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s inaugural prime minister, was tragically assassinated by her own bodyguards on Oct. 31, 1984.
Born Nov. 19, 1917, she emerged as a central figure in her country’s political landscape, eventually becoming prime minister in her father’s footsteps.
The trust she placed in her favorite Sikh security guard, following Operation Blue Star, ultimately proved to be a fatal mistake. In exploring the narrative of Gandhi’s assassination, it is crucial to examine the backgrounds and motivations of her assailants, shedding light on the reasons that led to their fatal decision.
Who was Indira Gandhi?
Gandhi served as her country’s third and only female prime minister starting in 1966 to 1977, and then served another term from 1980 until she died in 1984.
As a central figure of the Indian National Congress, she was admired for her leadership and criticized for her authoritarian approach. She played a significant role in Indian politics and is often cited as a trailblazer for women throughout the country.
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Gandhi was a key player in Indian politics for 17 years, whether in office or out of it. She played an active role in the Independence movement and closely worked with her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, a pivotal figure in the establishment of contemporary India, serving as his assistant when he was prime minister. In 1959, she also held the position of president of the Indian National Congress.
Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister
Gandhi rose to power suddenly after Lal Bahadur Shastri died in 1966. At the outset of her leadership, India struggled with significant economic hardships, including high inflation and food shortages. The country’s agricultural sector was vulnerable due to its dependence on the monsoon seasons and aid from the U.S.
She also faced substantial political challenges and dedicated much of her tenure to overcoming these issues, the same issues Nehru attempted to resolve. She fought to direct India toward self-reliance and economic resilience. By 1980, India had become self-reliant and even became a nation of grain surplus, alongside notable industrial progress — achievements attributed to her governance.
Acknowledged milestones during her leadership include the triumph in the 1971 War with Pakistan, the formation of Bangladesh and the cementing of India’s status as a potential nuclear power. All of these developments strengthened India’s self-esteem.
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Her tenure ended with her assassination, leaving behind a legacy of achievements and unresolved tensions.
Indian society was divided about her; some called her “Mother Indira,” and others viewed her as authoritarian. However, it is widely accepted that her leadership shaped India and set the course for its future.
Operation Blue Star
Gandhi’s time as prime minister was impaired by increasing tensions with Sikh separatists, culminating in Operation Blue Star. This was the Indian army’s response in June 1984 to remove militant Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers, who had hidden themselves within the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The militants’ substantial armaments led to a heavy-handed military response, which included the use of artillery.
The conflict ended on June 10 with the army seizing control of the temple. However, the operation, which coincided with a significant Sikh religious event, resulted in numerous civilian deaths who were present at the time. This resulted in widespread condemnation from Sikhs globally. They interpreted it as an attack on their religious community.
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The repercussions of Operation Blue Star severely damaged Gandhi’s standing with Sikhs, which eventually led to her assassination.
Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Gandhi’s assassination on Oct. 31, 1984, was committed by her bodyguards, notably Beant Singh, who was considered a favorite. The assassination was a consequence of the tensions from Operation Blue Star and led to a planned reassignment of Sikh bodyguards, including Singh. Gandhi canceled the transfer, worried about increasing her anti-Sikh persona.
On the morning of her assassination, despite being advised to wear a bulletproof vest, Gandhi was not wearing it.
As she walked through a gate headed to an interview, Singh shot her three times in the abdomen with his .38 revolver. Satwant Singh, another bodyguard, fired 30 rounds from his submachine gun. Following the assault, Beant was located and killed by Border Police, and Satwant was tried and executed in 1989.
Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, succeeded her as prime minister of India.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify Indira Gandhi’s successor.
World
Some Russians make the cut for Paris Olympics but others fail vetting process
World
Iran defies Biden, UN by enriching uranium for nuclear weapons program
JERUSALEM – The Islamic Republic of Iran retaliated against the Biden administration’s support of a mild U.N. watchdog agency rebuke of Tehran for its work on its covert illicit nuclear weapons program this week.
The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its inspectors had verified Monday that Iran has begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to enrich the uranium more quickly.
So far, Iran has been enriching uranium in those cascades up to 2% purity. Iran already enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
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Last week, Israel’s former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a member of Israel’s parliament (Knesset), told Israel’s Army Radio Tuesday Iran is “planning a Holocaust for us in the next two years.”
In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in response to Tehran’s move that “Iran aims to continue expanding its nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose.”
He added, “These planned actions further undermine Iran’s claims to the contrary. If Iran implements these plans, we will respond accordingly.” Miller declined to state what actions the U.S. government will take against the rogue regime in Tehran. The State Department has designated Iran’s regime as the world’s worst international state-sponsor of terrorism.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense Democracies (FDD), sharply disagreed with the U.S. State Department. He told Fox News Digital that “While Washington has promised to ‘respond accordingly,’ it’s been the delayed response, missteps and absorption of Tehran’s previous nuclear moves that got us to this point.”
Taleblu continued, “Washington must aggressively enforce oil and petrochemical sanctions and militarily threaten that which Tehran holds dear in the region to reset the otherwise sticky impression in the minds of the Islamic Republic’s decision-makers about U.S. and Western resolve.”
Earlier this week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “The United States continues to have grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, as we have made clear at the IAEA for many years and again today. Iran’s record speaks for itself, as does its continued failure to demonstrate to the IAEA and the world that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”
The spokesperson added “The Iranian regime continues to amass a growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium for which there is no credible civilian purpose. We look forward to working with fellow Board members [on]a sustainable, effective solution that includes Iran’s full cooperation with the IAEA, especially as we look ahead to October 2025, which is an inflection point for the international community’s quest to make certain that Iran’s program remains exclusively peaceful.”
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When pressed by Fox News Digital as to whether the U.S. will impose new sanctions on Iran’s regime, including a crackdown on Tehran’s sale of oil to China, the State Department spokesperson said, “We continue to work with E3 [France, Germany and Great Britain] and the international community on ways to increase pressure on Iran across [a] full range of its destabilizing behavior. We are actively increasing pressure on Iran through a combination of sanctions, deterrence and international isolation to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior and prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which President Biden has been clear he will not allow. Any notion that we are backing off is false.”
Taleblu, whose main focus is the Iranian regime’s threat to international security, noted, “Iran is continuing its hourglass strategy, expanding its atomic program while circumscribing international monitoring reports of more advanced centrifuges being installed and operated can’t just be shrugged off by the administration. These machines offer greater means to enrich more uranium in less time.”
Iran also plans to install 18 cascades of IR-2m centrifuges at Natanz and eight cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at its Fordo nuclear site. Each of these classes of centrifuges enriches uranium faster than Iran’s baseline IR-1 centrifuges, which remain the workhorse of the country’s atomic program.
Ali Shamkhani, a former top security official within Iran’s theocracy who still advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote on X that Tehran remains committed to nuclear safeguards, though it “won’t bow to pressure.”
“The U.S. and some Western countries would dismantle Iran’s nuclear industry if they could,” Shamkhani wrote.
Since the collapse of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers following the U.S.’ unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018, the country has pursued nuclear enrichment just below weapons-grade levels. The Trump administration withdrew from the atomic deal in 2018 because, it argued, the accord permitted Tehran to build a nuclear weapon. Fox News Digital revealed last year that Iran’s regime continued to work on the construction of an atomic bomb.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 842
As the war enters its 842nd day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Sunday, June 16, 2024.
Politics and diplomacy
- World leaders are gathering in Switzerland for the second day of a major peace conference to pursue a consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscoring concerns about the war’s human cost.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced hope of garnering international agreement around a proposal to end the war that he could present to Moscow.
- The circle of countries participating in the process of working towards a peace plan for Ukraine should be widened, French President Emmanuel Macron said during the opening of the peace summit.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as “propaganda” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine effectively surrender before any peace talks.
- United States Vice President Kamala Harris announced another $1.5bn in assistance to Ukraine, as she pledged the US’s full support in backing Kyiv’s efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace” in the face of the war with Russia.
- A draft of the final summit declaration reportedly refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored, the Reuters news agency reported.
- White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that Qatar had helped to mediate the return from Russia of 30 or more Ukrainian children to their families. Kyiv claims that as many as 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began.
- More than 90 countries are taking part in the summit, but China said it would boycott the event after Russia was frozen out of the process.
Fighting
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The peace summit comes at a perilous moment for Ukraine on the battlefield, with Russian forces advancing against outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian units.
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Near Ukraine’s embattled eastern front, hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough are nearly nil. “I’d like to hope that it will bring some changes in the future. But, as experience shows, nothing comes of it,” Maksym, a tank commander in the Donetsk region, told the AFP news agency.
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Outside the peace summit venue in Switzerland, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier captured by Russia said she hoped the leaders could agree to “some exchange process for the prisoners of war”. “I want to see my husband,” Hanna, who fled her home in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol and now lives in Sweden, told AFP.
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Meanwhile, Russian army defectors live in fear of reprisal from Moscow after abandoning their posts in the ongoing war with Ukraine. Many also feel abandoned by the West, as they do not have the necessary passports and only have documents allowing them to reach neighbouring Kazakhstan or Armenia.
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