Top 10 political assassinations of the World

Political assassinations may be less heard of now, but reverting to history, there have been numerous cases of assassination of eminent politicians and leaders.Assassinations of leaders whom we love or hate may be prompted by religious, ideological, political, or military considerations.But at the end of the day, each time a leader is assassinated the nation, be it from any part of the globe, suffers. Political and economic instability, civil riots, etc engulf the country and brings its normalcy to a halt. Some leaders manage to leave an indelible mark on the lives of people. Their departure from Earth causes grief and loss to mankind. Here we have compiled a list of 10 political assassinations that affected not just the nation concerned but the entire world.1. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of BangladeshOn 15th August 1975 On 15 August 1975, a group of junior army officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks and killed Sheikh Mujibur along with his family and staff. This assassination shocked Bangladesh as it was carried out by the President's former confidante` Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who eventually became his successor.Mostaq Ahmad was supported by other disgruntled Awami League colleagues and military officers. The media accused USA's CIA of having instigated the coup and assassination. Mujib's death caused political instability in the country for several years. Sheikh Mujibur's daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were in Germany when the army officers attacked their house. Hence they were miraculously saved. Sheikh Hasina is now the incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born on 17th March 1920. He was the President of Bangladesh. He is popularly referred as Sheikh Mujib or Bangabandhu (friend of Bengal). Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the leader of Awami League. He took over as the President while Bangladesh was struggling with the Bangladesh War of Liberation. With his charismatic and forceful oratory, Mujib inspired millions across East Pakistan to engage in the struggle for self-determination and independence.2. William McKinley, 25th President of the USAWilliam McKinley enjoyed public rallies. After he was elected President for the second tenure he decided to undertake a six-week tour of the nation. Recently anarchists in Europe had been assassinated. Hence his security had been beefed up. A man named Leon Czolgosz was a fan of Emma Goldman (an anarchist who played a crucial role in developing anarchist political philosophy in Europe and America. Inspired by her view, Leon decided to assassinate President McKinley. Leon tried to attack the President a number of times but failed on all attempts. But eventually he got lucky on 6 September 1901. On that day William McKinley spent the morning visiting Niagara Falls with his wife Ida before returning to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in the afternoon to spend a few minutes greeting the public. By about 3:30 p.m., President McKinley stood inside the Temple of Music building at the Exposition ready to greet people. His fans had been waiting to catch glimpse of the President for hours and wanted to shake hands with him. Leon Czolgosz stood amongst the crowd. When he neared McKinley he shot at him twice in the stomach. The President was rushed to the hospital. Bullets were removed from his stomach but his condition remained critical. After a couple of days, his wounds were infected. Doctors were oblivious of the gangrene which eventually took the President's life on 14th September. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president. President William McKinley was born on 29 January 1843. He was also loved by his people. McKinley's death brought about economic instability in the US.3. Mahatma Gandhi, India's Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30th January 1948 by Nathuram Godse. Gandhi, in the company of his grandnieces, was on his way to address a prayer meeting at Birla House (now known as Gandhi Smriti) in Delhi. He was shot by one of the conspirators who opposed Gandhi's leniency towards Pakistan and his doctrine of nonviolence. Nathuram Godse and his co-conspirators held Gandhi guilty of favoring Pakistan. Gandhi was shot three times from a Beretta 9 mm pistol into his chest at point-blank range. Gandhi's last words before his death were “hey Ram” (Oh God). On his death, the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation through radio and said: “Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more”. Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2nd October, 1869. He is considered one of the greatest leaders of India, who propagated non-violence and ‘satyagrah' as means of victory. Nathuram Godse and co-conspirator were executed in 1949.4. Liaquat Ali Khan, the 1st Prime Minister of PakistanLiaquat Ali Khan was assassinated on 16th October 1951. Khan was killed while he was addressing a public meeting at Company Garden in Rawalpindi. He was shot twice in the chest by Saad Akbar Babrak, who as per reports, was a professional assassin and an Afghan national. Few seconds after Khan had been attacked; the police promptly got hold of the assassin and shot him to death. Liaquat Ali Khan was immediately rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries and could not be saved. Khan death still remains a mystery. It was never investigated. No one understood why the Afghan national conspired against him or if there were other people involved too. The Company garden was renamed as Liaquat Ali Khan bagh. Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in the same park. Liaquat Ali Khan was born in October 1895. He was one of the leading Founding Fathers of Pakistan.5. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of AmericaKennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963 as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. He had gone to Texas on a political trip. The President was first shot in the throat, then upper back and then on the head. He was immediately rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. John Kennedy was only 46 years old when he died. His successor set up a committee to thoroughly examine his assassination. The ‘Warren Committee' concluded that he had been shot at by Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee of the Texas School Book Depository. Before Oswald could be tried he was killed by a man named Jack Ruby. Ruby too died of cancer before he could be tried. Hence John F Kennedy's murderer remains a mystery. Kennedy was born on 29th May 1917. Kennedy was quite a popular personality. He was the youngest president of America back then hence he enjoyed full attention of the media.6. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the USAAbraham Lincoln was assassinated on 14th April 1865.President Lincoln, the First lady of America and head Union general Ulysses S. Grant were to attend Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth was upset with the President's policy of quick reunification with a minimum of retribution.He plotted to assassinate him with co- conspirators. Initially Booth had decided to merely kidnap the President but finding him unguarded, he aimed his gun at the back of his head and fired at point- blank range. Lincoln was injured severely.Major Henry Rathbone saw Booth attack the President. He attempted to get back at him but Booth was quicker. He stabbed Major Henry and scarped. After being on the run for 12 days, Booth was tracked down and found on a farm in Virginia. Since he refused to surrender, he was killed. President Lincoln struggled for life as a doctor assisted him. The doctor attempted to revive him but Lincoln fell into coma and died a couple of hours later. Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of America's greatest heroes due to both his incredible impact on the nation and his unique appeal. His is a remarkable story of the rise from humble beginnings to achieve the highest office in the land; then, a sudden and tragic death at a time when his country needed him most to complete the great task remaining before the nation.7. Indira Gandhi, the 4th Prime Minister of IndiaIndira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards on 31st October 1984. Satwant Singh and Beant Singh – Gandhi's bodyguards shot her with their weapons at the Prime Minster's residence while she was in her garden. Indira was walking past a wicket gate that had been guarded by the two guards. She was about to be interviewed by Peter Ustinov, a British actor. Beant Singh shot her three times and Satwant fired 30 times. The two guards immediately surrendered after attacking. Both of them were taken to a room where Beant Singh was killed. As the conspiracy was further investigated, another name emerged. Kehar Singh was one of the other conspirators. Kehar and Satawant were sentenced to death. Indira Gandhi was admitted to AIIMS where she succumbed to her wounds. Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November 1917. She was the first woman Prime minister of India. 8. Rajiv Gandhi, the 7th Prime Minister of IndiaRajiv Gandhi was assassinated on 21st May 1991 in a village near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. He had been campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha candidate. A woman named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam approached to him at the rally. On the pretext of greeting him, she bent low to touch his feet and detonated a belt laden with 700 grams of RDX explosives tucked under her dress. Along with Rajiv, the assassin woman and 25 others were killed. The entire scene had been captured in a camera. A cameraman had shot the incident. He died but the camera was not damaged. His funeral was telecast live and attended by eminent personalities from over 60 countries. He is survived by his widow wife Sonia Gandhi and two children -Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi was a pilot before he reluctantly entered politics after his brother Sanjay Gandhi's death. 9. Sri Ranasinghe Premadasa, the 3rd President of Sri LankaPremadasa was killed on 1st May 1993 during a rally. An LTTE suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body during a May Day political rally. Over 10 people were killed in the explosion that took place in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. The dead included President Premdasa's bodyguards and confidantes. Several people were severely injured. Though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam deny involvement, these Tamil rebels had waged a 10 year secessionist war that has claimed thousands of lives, including several prominent figures killed in suicide bombings. Ranasinghe Premadasa, was born on 23 June 1924. Before becoming the President he served as the Prime minister from 6 February 1978 till 1st January 1989. Premadasa was a down to earth man. He led a humble life in his home and didn't occupy the luxurious official residence that had been allotted to him. He originally planned to be a journalist, and translated an autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru into Sinhala.10. Benazir Bhutto, the 11th and 1st woman Prime Minister of PakistanBhutto was assassinated on 27 December, 2007. After addressing a campaign for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Benazir entered her bulletproof vehicle, Bhutto stood up through its sunroof to wave to the crowds. At this point, a gunman fired shots at her, and a suicide bomber had also detonated a bomb next to her vehicle leading to multiple causalities and complete chaos. Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi. The location was Liaquat Bagh. Ironically in 1951, Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan and one of the leading founders of modern Pakistan had been assassinated. Benazir succumbed to her injuries and suffered from trauma after the explosion. Al-Qaeda commander Mustafa Abu al-Yazid claimed responsibility for the attack. However the Bhutto family was not satisfied. On 12 February 2011, an anti- Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi issued an arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf, claiming he was aware of the assassination plot by the Taliban, but did not pass the information on to those responsible for protecting Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto was born on 21st June 1953. She belonged to a politically strong family and is considered an icon for women in politics.

Top 10 political assassinations of the World

Political assassinations may be less heard of now, but reverting to history, there have been numerous cases of assassination of eminent politicians and leaders.Assassinations of leaders whom we love or hate may be prompted by

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