On October 2, 1986, the 117th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister,
Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, went along with other VIPs to Raj Ghat in the morning so that he could pay homage to the memory of ‘Bapuji’. At precisely 7.15 a.m., when everyone was occupied with this ceremony, a gunshot was heard, which was later followed by two more shots. A 25-year-old man, whose name is believed to be Karamjit Singh, had made an attempt on the life of the Prime Minister, failing only because the weapon he had used proved inadequate for the task.
Why did Karamjit Singh take such an extreme step? During his interrogation he said that a friend of his had been killed during the riots in November 1984, and that he had wanted to avenge his murder. It was to this end that he had acquired a country-made revolver and fired it at Mr. Gandhi.
According to CBI sources, the culprit had wanted to become an engineer after completing his schooling in Sangrur, but having failed to gain admission to any of the engineering colleges, he had failed also to find employment, and had just become a drifter. Having no work to occupy him physically or mentally, he fell a prey to morbid brooding on the death of his friend, and finally his own unending frustration found a much-needed outlet in the revenge he planned.
We might well imagine that had this young man gained admission to an engineering college, he might never have lost his emotional balance, and would not then have perpetrated this crime. Had he had regular employment he might have been able to keep his feelings in check simply by having to give his attention to his day-to-day responsibilities.
It is undeniable that most of the evils of present-day society stem from illiteracy and unemployment. And the best way to eradicate these evils is to ensure the spread of education and to organize the economy in such a way that there is employment for all.
It is surely not too late to learn a lesson from the fate of this drifter and would-be avenger.
