The death anniversary of India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is observed every year on May 21. Gandhi served as the Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the assassination of his mother, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. At the age of 40, Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest Indian Prime Minister. He served until his defeat at the 1989 election, and then became Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha, resigning in December 1990, six months before his own assassination. Rajiv Gandhi's Death Anniversary 2025 falls on Wednesday, May 21. In India, the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi is also marked as Anti-terrorism Day. Rajiv Gandhi Death Anniversary: Quotes by Rajiv Gandhi To Share in Memory of the Former Indian Prime Minister.

Rajiv Gandhi Death Anniversary 2025 Date

Rajiv Gandhi Death Anniversary 2025 falls on Wednesday, May 21.

All About The Day

Rajiv Gandhi was born in Bombay on August 20, 1944, to Indira and Feroze Gandhi. Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE cadres at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in 1991 during an election campaign. As per historical records, Rajiv Gandhi's last public meeting was on May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur, a village approximately 40 km from Madras, where he was assassinated while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate. Anti Terrorism Day in India Date, History and Significance: Know About the Day That Raises Awareness About the Dangers of Terrorism.

At 10:10 pm on May 21, 2991, a woman, who later identified as 22-year-old Kalaivani Rajaratnam, approached Gandhi in public and greeted him. She was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. After she came near Gandhi, she bent down to touch his feet and detonated a belt laden with 700 g (1.5 lb) of RDX explosives. The tragedy killed Gandhi, Rajaratnam, and as many as 14 other people.

The assassination was captured by a 21-year-old local photographer, whose camera and film were found at the site. The cameraman, named Haribabu, died in the blast, but the camera remained intact. Gandhi's mutilated body was airlifted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi for post-mortem, reconstruction, and embalming.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2025 01:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).