September 3, 1977: Within hours of Gandhi's death, the Indian President, in a controversial move, appoints Indira's son, Sanjay Gandhi to succeed his mother as Prime Minister of India. Riots break out as those sympathetic to the Gandhi government begin attacking people with communist sympathies.
September 4, 1977: President Reagan calls the assassination "a blatant Communist attack on the world's largest democracy." Leonid Brezhnev calls the attack "a devastating blow to a valuable ally." Both leaders offer their condolences.
September 4, 1977: President Reagan calls the assassination "a blatant Communist attack on the world's largest democracy." Leonid Brezhnev calls the attack "a devastating blow to a valuable ally." Both leaders offer their condolences.