National Anti-Terrorism Day: Know history and why is it observed on 21 May
- Anti-Terrorism Day: The day highlights the significance of eradicating terrorism and promoting peace and harmony
India observes National Anti-Terrorism Day on 21 May every year to commemorate the death of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was the youngest prime minister of India who came into power at 40. Gandhi, the sixth PM of India, was assassinated by a woman-a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on 21 May 1991, at Sriperumbudur, a village near Madras. The VP Singh's government announced that 21 May would be observed as Anti-Terrorism Day.
The day highlights the significance of eradicating terrorism and promoting peace and harmony.
National Anti-Terrorism Day: History
At 40, Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of India. For no one could have ascended to power in more tragic and tormenting circumstances than Rajiv Gandhi did in the wake of his mother Indira Gandhi's brutal assassination on 31 October 1984.
However, it was on 21 May 1991 that the former prime minister was assassinated by an LTTE terrorist. It was a militant separatist group fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamils in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.
Gandhi was killed during a rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. A bomber touched his feet and an explosion occurred that caused the death of Rajiv Gandhi.
Global Terrorism Index:
According to the 10th edition of the Global Terrorism Index, India ranked among the 25-worst terror-hit countries but also among 56 of the 120 nations surveyed with no respondents selecting war and terror as the biggest threat to their daily safety.
The report by Sydney-headquartered think-tank noted that India has a number of low-level conflicts in some of the border areas but the vast majority of the country’s population lives outside of these regions.
Globally, the deaths from terrorism fell by 9% to 6,701 in 2022, the report said. The fall in deaths was mirrored by a reduction in the number of incidents, with attacks declining by almost 28% from 5,463 in 2021 to 3,955 in 2022.
Pakistan remained among the 10 countries most affected by terrorism in 2022, with deaths rising significantly to 643, a 120% increase from 292 deaths in 2021.
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First Published:21 May 2023, 08:47 AM IST
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