'1989: Key Events

• Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, accused of assassinating Indira Gandhi, are hanged. Safdar Hashmi, a street theatre activist, is killed by thugs allegedly members of the Delhi Congress(I). Amid a nationwide outcry, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust is formed, organising a series of Artists Against Communalism programmes featuring some of India’s best-known musicians, dancers and artists.

• Agni, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, is fired, making India the fifth country to acquire IRBM capability.

• The Shilanyas ceremony is held at Ayodhya, as the foundation stone for a temple in the name of Ram is laid.

• Rajiv Gandhi, seeking Hindu support, allows the ceremony to take place. In the general elections (December), a coalition of the Janata Dal, supported by the right-wing BJP and the CPI(M), displace Rajiv Gandhi’s government.

• The Central Board of Film Certification allows 1268 video titles to be released, including 62 features, 213 shorts, 48 ‘long’ films and 915 foreign shorts