Satwant Singh

Satwant Singh
Native name ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਭਾਈ ਸਤਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ
Born Satwant Singh Bajwa
1962
Agwan, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, Punjab
Died January 6, 1989(1989-01-06) (aged 26–27)
Tihar Jail, New Delhi, India
Cause of death Executed by hanging
Nationality Sikh
Occupation Bodyguard of the Prime Minister of India
Employer Government of India
Religion Sikhi
Criminal charge Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Criminal penalty Capital punishment in India
Criminal status Executed by hanging at 04:00 (IST) on 06 January 1989
Spouse(s) Surinder Kaur (m. 1988; d. 1989)
Parents
  • Tarlok Singh (father)
  • Pyar Kaur (mother)
Awards Title of Shaheed by Akal Takht
For the rally driver, see Satwant Singh (rally driver).

Satwant Singh Agwan (1962–January 6. 1989) was a Sikh bodyguard of the Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, who, along with another bodyguard, Beant Singh, assassinated Indira Gandhi at her residence on 31 October 1984. He was from Amritsar and played wrestling in hanuman akahara (club) in new Delhi.

During the Supreme Court trial, Satwant Singh made the following statement “Let any part of my body, after my Shaheedi (martyrdom), be removed and used by anyone who may need. However if you need my eyes, let the authorities tell my parents. I have no hatred for any Hindu, Muslim, Christian, neither hatred for any religion. After my Shaheedi, let no Sikh throw any rock at any Hindu. I am not in favour of any retaliation or bloodshed over my Shaheedi. If we do create bloodshed, then there is no difference between us and Rajiv Gandhi. I am Proud of the task that I did! I do ardas (prayer) in front of Waheguru ! If I am blessed with a human life, then give me a death of the Brave when I am hanged. Forget one life, if I could I would give up a thousand lives to kill dushts (thugs) like Indira Gandhi, and laugh as I become Shaheed by hanging….” [1]

The assassination

The assassination of Indira Gandhi was motivated by Operation Blue Star, an attack on Sikh separatists residing in the Golden Temple complex (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, India. Beant Singh drew a .38 revolver and fired three shots into Indira Gandhi's abdomen; as she fell to the ground, Satwant Singh fired all 30 rounds from his Sten automatic weapon into her abdomen (thus, 33 bullets were fired in total, of which 30 bullets hit their mark). Both assassins subsequently dropped their weapons and surrendered.[2][3] Beant Singh was shot to death during interrogation in custody soon after the assassination. Satwant Singh was arrested and later sentenced to death by hanging along with co-conspirator Kehar Singh. The sentence was carried out on 6 January 1989. [4]

After the execution

The Indian government did not hand over the bodies of Sikhs Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh to their next of kin. Their bodies were cremated within Tihar jail. The last wish of both Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh was that their ashes be taken to Shri Kiratpur Sahib. Citing concerns about possible violence, the authorities refused to turn even the ashes over to the relatives for use in religious ceremonies.

Aftermath

Their acts brought their immediate families into limelight,[5] resulting in their winning two Lok Sabha seats from state of Punjab.[6] The Lok Sabha is a directly elected 543 member lower house of the Parliament of India. Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also an elected member of the same house. A movie called Kaum de Heere was made about him in 2014. The movie is barred from release in India.

Honours and death anniversaries

In 2003, a Bhog ceremony was held at the highest Sikh temporal seat in Akal Takht, located in the Golden Temple Complex in Amritsar, where tributes were paid to Indira’s assassins.[7] In the year 2004, his death anniversary was again observed at Akal Takhat, Amritsar, where his mother was honored by the head priest and tributes were paid to Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh by various political parties.[8]

In 2007, the death anniversaries of Satwant Singh and his wife were observed in various parts of Punjab and other countries.

On 6 January 2008, the (Akal Takht) declared Beant Singh and Satwant Singh 'martyrs of Sikhism', [9][10][11][12] while the SGPC also labeled them "martyrs of the Sikh nation".[13] [9]

The Sikhism-centric political party in India, Shiromani Akali Dal, observed the death anniversary of Beant Singh and Satwant Singh as 'martyrdom' for the first time on 31 October 2008;[14] every 31 October since, their 'martyrdom day' has been observed at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.[15][16]

Aftermath of execution of Satwant Singh & Kehar Singh

It was reported in the Indian press that during the aftermath of the executions of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, communal violence occurred in Punjab.[17]

Personal life

Singh's father was Tarlok Singh.[8] He married Surinder Kaur (daughter of Mr. Virsa Singh) on 2 May 1988 while he was in jail.[18] His fiance married him in his absence by marrying his photo in an Anand Karaj.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ http://panthic.org/articles/2275
  2. ↑ Smith, William E. (1984-11-12). "Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden". TIME. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  3. ↑ Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants - Cynthia Keppley Mahmood. Google Books. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  4. ↑ "Indian prime minister shot dead". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  5. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20091026145354/http://www.geocities.com/asia_correspondent/india89assassinwifewt.html
  6. ↑ "India's New Chief Given A Go-Ahead". New York Times. 1989-12-22. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  7. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. 2003-01-07. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  8. 1 2 "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  9. 1 2 http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=9640ce68-87e7-4f31-8106-e2d3752e35ac
  10. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. 2003-01-07. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  11. ↑ "National : Indira Gandhi killers labelled martyrs". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  12. ↑ "Indira assassin 'great martyr': Vedanti". Indian Express. 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Bathinda Edition". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  15. ↑ http://www.sikhsiyasat.net/2012/10/31/bhai-beant-singhs-martyrdom-day-observed-at-sri-akal-takht-sahib/
  16. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  17. ↑ Reuters (1989-01-08). "Sikhs Kill 14 Hindus After Executions in India - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  18. ↑ Special to the New York Times (1988-12-01). "Indira Gandhi Killers To Be Hanged Friday - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  19. ↑ "STLtoday.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 1988-06-09. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  20. ↑ Miami Herald - 26 June 1988

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/08/world/sikhs-kill-14-hindus-after-executions-in-india.html

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