Today (31 October 2022), India remembers former PM Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary. Since the beginning of the day, senior congress leaders have been making their tributes to the late leader. Amidst remembering the former Indian PM, a particular faction has become prevalent with their celebration of one of Indira Gandhi’s assassinators, Beant Singh, on this day.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — who is currently on a countrywide political foot campaign — also paid floral tributes to Indira Gandhi.
Who was Beant Singh?
Historically, everyone knows that Beant Singh was the bodyguard of the late Indira Gandhi. He and another bodyguard, Satwant Singh, assassinated Indira Gandhi as they gunned down the former PM.
Beant Singh was killed on the same day after he engaged in a fire with security personnel.
As per several accounts, Beant Singh was highly unhappy after the execution of ‘Operation Bluestar’. He sought revenge for the military action in the Golden temple. Prabhjot Singh wrote, “There was a sudden transformation in the thinking of Beant Singh after the Army action”.
Support For Beant Singh
The death anniversary of Beant Singh was observed at the Akal Takht Sahib on Monday.
Since the assassination, the support for Beant Singh has steadily increased among a section of the Sikh community. In 2008, Akal Takht declared Beant Singh and Satwant Singh as ‘martyrs’.
Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee also remembered the assassin. The official Twitter handle of SGPC posted, “Guru’s Sikhs Bhai Beant Singh & Bhai Satwant Singh, took revenge of this insult to Central Sikh shrine on this auspicious day on Oct 31, 1984”.
The tweet further read: “Bhai Beant Singh was martyred on this day, & Bhai Satwant Singh with him was injured, & later sentenced to death with Bhai Kehar Singh”.
Several individuals on Twitter showed their unwavering support for Beant Singh. A Twitter user wrote, “On 38th death anniversary of Shaheed Beant Singh, remembering 1989 LS Elections when his wife (Bibi Bimal K Khalsa) and his father (Baba Sucha Singh) won as MPs”.
Twitter user Amandeep Singh wrote, “Salute to the warriors! Bhai Satwant Singh, Bhai Beant Singh, Bhai Kehar Singh, who gave the ticket to Indra Gandhi, on 31st October”.
The support for Beant Singh in India — an assassinator of the Indian PM, was never dealt harshly with by authorities. However, the rising Khalistani forces might try to pose a new challenge to the Indian intelligence apparatus by reinvigorating their agenda by pushing Beant Singh as Sikh Martyr and demonising the Indian State.
