Indira Gandhi
1917–1984 · Indian (Allahabad / New Delhi) · Post-Independence India, Cold War
Known for: India's first (and only) female PM—won the 1971 war, declared Emergency, assassinated by her own bodyguards
Indira Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi—she married Feroze Gandhi) served as Prime Minister of India for 15 years across two tenures. She led India to victory in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, authorized India's first nuclear test, nationalized banks, and launched the Green Revolution.
She also declared a 21-month State of Emergency (1975-1977), suspending civil liberties, censoring media, and implementing forced sterilization programs. She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 after ordering the military operation on the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
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