Satwant Singh
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Satwant Singh Agwaan (1962-1989) was a Sikh bodyguard to the Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, who on October 31, 1984 was assassinated at her residence by Singh and another bodyguard, Beant Singh.
The assassination of Indira Gandhi was motivated by Operation Blue Star, the attack on the Sikh "Golden Temple" in Amritsar, which had been thought to be occupied by armed Sikh revolutionaries. Satwant Singh and Beant Singh fired around sixteen bullets into Indira Gandhi's chest and abdomen.
Beant Singh was killed by gunfire at the scene of the assassination. Satwant Singh was arrested and later sentenced to death along with conspirator Kehar Singh. The sentence was carried out on January 6, 1989. Satwant Singh was the last man to be hanged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Satwant Singh, the son of Tarlok Singh, was born in the village of Agwan in Gurdaspur District, Punjab.
On January 6th 2008 the highest Sikh temporal seat (Akal Takhat, Amritsar) declared Satwant Singh and other assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi martyrs of Sikhism[1].
[edit] External links
Biography by a Sikh site that considers Singh a martyr
[edit] References
- ^ Hindustan Times, Jan 7 2008 http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=9640ce68-87e7-4f31-8106-e2d3752e35ac