Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Top leaders led by President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined the nation Monday to pay tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 27th death anniversary.

In Delhi, a remembrance function was held at Shakti Sthal, the site on the banks of the Yamuna river where Gandhi was cremated.

The president and the prime minister visited the memorial and paid floral tributes to the assassinated leader. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the slain leader’s daughter-in-law, and grandson Rahul Gandhi also paid tributes.

The function began with rendering of devotional songs and a replay of speech by Gandhi, who ruled the country for 16 years.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar; Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna; union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Kamal Nath, K.V. Thomas and Krishna Tirath and senior Congress leaders like Motilal Vohra and Manishankar Aiyar were among those who visited Shakti Sthal.

Indira Gandhi was assassination by two of her Sikh guards — Satwant Singh and Beant Singh Oct 31, 1984 — in retaliation for Operation Blue Star ordered by her to flush out Khalistani terrorists from the Sikh holy shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Her dramatic assassination resulted in anti-Sikh riots Nov 1-3 in which thousands were killed.

Remembrance functions were also held by state governments and the Congress units at state capitals.

Several ministries and government departments issued newspaper advertisements to mark the anniversary.