Anti-Terrorism Day in India Date in the current year: May 21, 2024

May 21 was chosen as Anti-Terrorism Day since it's the day when Rajiv Gandhi, the seventh Prime Minister of India, was killed. He served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989 and was the youngest Indian prime minister.

He was campaigning for the Indian general elections in 1991 and had chances to win, but he was assassinated by a suicide bomber. He was killed in a village Sriperumbudur during the campaign for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate. A woman approached to him, bent down to touch his feet, and detonated a belt laden with explosives, hidden under her dress. The explosion killed Rajiv Gandhi, his assassin and 25 other people. The moment of assassination was caught on film of a local photographer. This person also died, but the camera remained intact.

Anti-Terrorism Day has an objective to urge Indians to struggle for peace, unity and harmony and remind about the precaution measures that can help prevent terrorist attacks.