From the archive record
Indira Gandhi was cremated in the presence of her son Rajiv Gandhi, daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi and grandchildren Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The cremation was witnessed by the whole nation to bid the beloved Prime Minister a blessed adieu. Indira Gandhi, in full Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, née Nehru, (born November 19, 1917, Allahabad, India—died October 31, 1984, New Delhi), politician who served as prime minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term from 1980 until she was assassinated in 1984. During the early 1980s Indira Gandhi was faced with threats to the political integrity of India. Several states sought a larger measure of independence from the central government, and Sikh separatists in Punjab state used violence to assert their demands for a