University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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tt GANDHI ' S SON RAJIV lights his mother ' s funeral pyre in the Woods of Peace. Over 50,000 people, in- cluding dignitaries from many na- tions, attended the funeral. THE AFTERMATH OF A MURDER On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi left her residence for an interview with English actor Peter Ustinov. As she passed through her garden gate, two of her previously-loyal Sikh bodyguards lowered their weapons and opened fire, mortal- ly wounding her. She died after several hours of surgery to repair the 22 gunshot wounds she suffered. The news of her death sparked a massacre. Yelling Blood for Blood, mobs rampaged through the cities and country- side of India, killing Sikhs and looting or destroying their property. Indian Army Command ordered troops into the cities to stop the rioting, and gave them shoot-to-kill orders. Gandhi ' s body was burned in the woods of Peace, where the remains of Mohandas Gandhi and Indira ' s father Jawa- haral Nehru were also cremated. The pyre was lit by her son, Rajiv, who had been chosen to succeed his mother as Prime Minister. Indira Gandhi was born in 1918 in Allahabad, India. Dur- ing her youth, Gandhi was active in the Indian liberation movement of Mohandas Gandhi. In 1941, she married Fer- oze Gandhi, who was not related to Mohandas. She stayed with him until her appointment as official government hos- tess in 1947. She succeeded her father, Nehru, as Prime Minister in 1966. PRIME MINISTER GANDHI ' S body lies in state in New Delhi. Officials estimated over 2,500 people per hour viewed the slain Indian leader. INDIA 21

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THE GOLDEN TEMPLE in Amritsar provided a peaceful sanctuary for Sikh separatist larnail Bhindran- wale (center) until an attack by In- dian Army troops killed him. INDIA IN TURMOIL 1984 was a violent year for India, a year which culminated in the death of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Al- though her death was mourned by millions, few were sur- prised by it. The chain of events leading to Gandhi ' s death began in the northern Indian state of Punjab. In this predominately Sikh state, a Sikh leader named Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was waging a terrorist campaign against the Indian government aimed at making Punjab an independent Sikh nation. For his headquarters and arsenal, he chose the Golden Temple, lo- cated in the city of Amritsar in Punjab. The Golden Temple was the Sikh ' s holiest shrine. When Bhindranwale ' s raids became serious, pressure be- gan to mount on Gandhi to take action. In early June, 1984, two battalions of Indian Army commandos surrounded the temple under cover of darkness and stormed the shrine at sunrise in hopes of forcing Bhindranwale ' s people to surren- der. Instead, the raid became a full-scale battle, killing over 70 troops and 350 Sikh separatists. Bhindranwale and many of his chief aides died in the attack. However, Gandhi lost more than the 70 troops. Outraged at the attack on their most sacred temple, many previously- moderate Sikhs took to the streets in protest, calling for Gandhi to step down. Many predominately-Sikh military units, called to quell the riots, deserted and joined the pro- tests. Although calm was restored, many predicted Gandhi ' s days were numbered. WIDESPREAD RIOTING ERUPTS in New Dehli after Indira Ghandi ' s death was announced. Over 500 people, mostly Sikhs, died in the first week of rioting in the capital. WITNESSES CARRY AWAY the body of a man trampled to death in the crush to view Gandhi ' s body. Over a dozen Indians died in the rush to pay respect to Gandhi. 20 NEWS

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ENGLAND BESET BY VIOLENCE For Great Britain, 1984 was marked by tragedy. The year started with the IRA bombing of London ' s Harrods depart- ment store, and the rest of 1984 was of the same caliber. BELFAST Tensions between the IRA and the British gov- ernment had been high since the attack on the Royal Guardsmen in London in 1983, and observers were predict- ing that a showdown was imminent. In August 1984, a show- down occurred. The Publicity Director of the U.S. based Irish Northern Aid Committee (NORAID), Martin Galvin, appeared at a rally in Ulster sponsored by the IRA. Galvin had been banned from Northern Ireland previously by the British authorities, and when the Royal Ulster Constabulary heard he would be there, they moved to apprehend him. While clearing a path to get to Galvin using truncheons and plastic bullets, one officer leveled his gun and shot a protes- tor with a plastic bullet, killing him instantly. The shooting, carried live on British and Irish television news, sparked rioting in Belfast and a furor in London. IRA proponents used the death to their benefit. NORAID director Micheal Flannery said the killing was a plus for us, advertising wise and everything else. BRIGHTON: The death in Ulster was followed by a retri- bution. In October, 1984, English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet arrived in Brighton for the annual Conservative Party Convention. As she prepared for the next day ' s activities, a 20 pound Frangex bomb in a seventh floor bathroom exploded, vaporizing one wall of the Grand Hotel, killing 4 and injuring 34. Many of the injured were top members of the Thatcher administration. Conservative Member of Parliament Sir Andrew Berry was killed, and House of Commons Chief Whip John Wakeham was left crippled after being buried in the rubble for six hours. However, the attack backfired on the IRA. The English me- dia began calling for the extermination of the pitiless Proves Popular support for the IRA in the U.S., usually high, plum- meted after the attack, and Scotland Yard began a mas- 1 sive roundup of suspected IRA agents in England. AFTER THE EXPLOSION, the Brighton Grand Hotel was left with a gaping hole in its side, and an army of embarrassed security offi- cials combing through the rubble. ROYAL ULSTER CONSTABULARY officers begin sorting through a Bel- fast crowd at an IRA rally, in an at- tempt to apprehend Martin Galvin. 22 NEWS