List of assassinations in Asia


This is a list of assassinations which took place on the continent of Asia.
For the purposes of this article, an assassination is defined as the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure, often for religious or political reasons.

Bangladesh

Georgia

India

DateVictimAssassinNotes
682 BCRipunjaya, last ruler of the Brihadratha dynasty.Punika Punika puts his son Pradyota on the throne.
185 BCBrihadratha Maurya, last ruler of the Mauryan dynastyPushyamitra ShungaPushyamitra founds the Shunga Empire.
June 1070Athirajendra, Raja of the Chola EmpireVaishnava rebellionAthirajendra was killed by a Vaishnava uprising. He was succeeded by Kulottunga I.
19 July 1296Jalal-ud-din Khalji, first Sultan of the Tughluq dynasty.Alauddin KhaljiAlauddin succeeded Jalal-ud-din to become the next Sultan of Delhi.
30 January 1528Rana Sanga, Rana of MewarMewar noblesAfter the Rajput defeat at Khanwa in 1527, Rana Sanga made plans to attack the Mughals, but was poisoned by his nobles before the plan could be executed as they did not wish to fight another war with Babur.
12 August 1602Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, vizier of the Mughal emperor AkbarVir Singh DeoKilled in a plot orchestrated by Prince Salim, because Abu'l-Fazl opposed Salim's accession to the throne
1716Chakdor Namgyal, Chogyal of SikkimA doctor hired by Pende OngmuKilled in an attempted usurpation by Chakdor's half-sister Pende Ongmu
8 February 1872Earl of Mayo (Richard Bourke), Viceroy of IndiaSher Ali AfridiStabbed while inspecting prisons in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
30 January 1948Mahatma Gandhi, independence leader and key proponent of non-violenceNathuram GodseSee Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
6 February 1965Partap Singh Kairon, Chief Minister of PunjabSucha Bassi, Baldev Singh and Nahar Singh 'Fauji'See Partap Singh Kairon
3 January 1975Lalit Narayan Mishra, Union Minister for RailwaysSantoshanand, Sudevanand and Gopalji, Ranjan DwivediSee Lalit Narayan Mishra
31 October 1984Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of IndiaSatwant Singh and Beant SinghShot by Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for Operation Blue Star. See Assassination of Indira Gandhi.
10 August 1986Arun Shridhar Vaidya, Chief of the Army Staff and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed ForcesSukhdev Singh Sukha and Harjinder Singh Jinda
8 March 1988Amar Singh Chamkila, controversial Punjabi singer/songwriter
27 April 1991Malkiat Singh Sidnu, Minister of State and former planning minister of PunjabUnknownShot outside his home. He had survived an assassination attempt in Canada 5 years prior.
21 May 1991Rajiv Gandhi, former prime minister of IndiaThenmuli RajaratnamKilled in an explosion triggered by a [Liberation Tigers of Tamil people|Tamil Eelam|LTTE] suicide bomber. First politician to be killed by a suicide bomber. See Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
19 March 1994Thakur Ji Pathak, former National General Secretary of the Janata DalCriminal gangsShot dead while he was going to court by some antisocial youths.
31 August 1995Beant Singh, chief minister of PunjabDilawar Singh Babbar
12 August 1997Gulshan Kumar, T-Series founder and Bollywood music producerAbu Salem and Fazlur RahmanA Mumbai underworld organisation called D-Company is considered to have been responsible for this assassination.
25 July 2001Phoolan Devi, bandit queen turned Member of the Lok SabhaSher Singh Rana
21 May 2002Abdul Ghani Lone, moderate Kashmiri Muslim separatist leaderpossibly killed by Pakistani intelligence services.
22 April 2006Pramod Mahajan, former Minister of Defence, Parliamentary Affairs and Communications and Information TechnologyPravin Mahajan, his brother
29 May 2022Sidhu Moosewala, Punjabi singer/songwriter turned politicianShot dead while he was travelling in his Mahindra Thar
9 January 2023Naba Das, Odisha State Minister of Health and Family Welfare
15 April 2023Atique Ahmed, former Member of the Lok SabhaShot dead along with his brother on live television

Israel

Korea

Lebanon

Myanmar (Burma)

Philippines

Sri Lanka

DateVictimAssassinNotes
25 September 1959S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of CeylonTalduwe Somarama, a Buddhist monk who later converted to ChristianitySee Assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
27 July 1975Alfred Duraiappah, Mayor of JaffnaLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
15 December 1986Daya Pathirana, leader of the Independent Students Union of the University of ColomboJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)See Assassination of Daya Pathirana
16 February 1989Vijaya Kumaratunga, movie actor and founder of the Sri Lanka Mahajana PakshayaJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)See Assassination of Vijaya Kumaratunga
13 November 1989Rohana Wijeweera, founder and leader of the Janatha Vimukthi PeramunaSri Lankan Armed Forces
13 July 1989A. Amirthalingam, Tamil separatist and leader of the Tamil United Liberation FrontLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
2 March 1991Ranjan Wijeratne, Foreign Minister & Minister of State for DefenceLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
23 April 1993Lalith Athulathmudali, former cabinet ministerJanaka Priyankara Jayamanne
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
The investigations carried out by the Sri Lanka Police and the Scotland Yard concluded that the assassination was carried out by the LTTE. However the findings were widely disputed, and a new presidential commission appointed to investigate the assassination by President Chandrika Kumaratunga reported former President Ranasinghe Premadasa and close security personnel as directly responsible for the assassination. The assassination remains highly controversial. See Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali
1 May 1993Ranasinghe Premadasa, President of Sri LankaLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)Killed by a suicide bomber on May Day parade. The attack was purportedly carried out by the LTTE. See Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa
24 October 1994Gamini Dissanayake, presidential candidate and United National Party MPLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
17 May 1998Sarojini Yogeswaran, Mayor of JaffnaLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
11 September 1998Pon Sivapalan, Mayor of JaffnaLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
29 July 1999Neelan Tiruchelvam, Tamil United Liberation Front MPLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
18 December 1999Lakshman Algama, former Chief of Staff of the Army and United National Party politicianLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
8 June 2000C. V. Gunaratne, Minister of Industrial DevelopmentLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
25 December 2005Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil National Alliance MPTamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP)
12 August 2005Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign MinisterLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
26 June 2006Parami Kulatunga, army generalLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
10 November 2006Nadarajah Raviraj, Tamil National Alliance MPPro-government paramilitary groups
1 January 2008T. Maheswaran, United National Party MPLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)Killed by the LTTE in retaliation for having talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
8 January 2008D. M. Dassanayake, Nation Building Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
6 March 2008K. Sivanesan, Tamil National Alliance MPDeep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lankan Army
6 April 2008Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Highways and Road Development and Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
8 January 2009Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of The Sunday LeaderA vocal critic of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the then-incumbent defence secretary. Many blamed the government for his assassination. See Assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge