The first female prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was in power in 1966-77 and 1980-84. Accused of being a benign dictator – using authoritarian tactics to advance her causes – she only narrowly avoided a military coup by agreeing to hold an election at the end of the “emergency period” of 1977. She was assassinated in 1984 by her own Sikh bodyguards who were angered over her decision to storm the sacred Sikh Golden Temple, which left many innocent pilgrims dead. Nevertheless, she left a legacy of human rights reforms and economic policy credited for India’s rise today as a world power.