Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum Review

On October 31, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot outside her home by two of her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for her violent suppression of a violent Sikh independence movement in Punjab, which included a military operation that entered Amritsar's Golden Temple. The murder sparked gruesome anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, and political turmoil ensued. The simple white bungalow in which Mrs. Gandhi lived from the 1960s to 1980s is now a small museum with endless photographs, quotations, and newspaper articles, plus a few rooms preserved as they were used. The photos get more interesting as you progress, and the museum ends with displays on Indira's son, Rajiv, himself prime minister from 1984-91 before he, too, was assassinated. Displays include the sari, handbag, and shoes Mrs. Gandhi was wearing when she was killed, and the sneakers Rajiv was wearing during his even more grisly demise at the hands of a female suicide bomber who was retaliating for India's support of the Sri Lankan government during a civil war. Outside, the spot where Indira fell is marked and preserved. Popular with Indian tourists, the museum can get very crowded; allow extra time if you want to peruse things carefully.