40 years ago October 21, 1986: Mozambique president dies

On October 21, 1986, Mozambique's President Samora Machel perished along with 33 others when their plane crashed in South Africa's Transvaal Province. The tragic incident occurred during a flight from Zambia to Mozambique. In the aftermath of the crash, violence erupted in Darjeeling, where a Maoist Gorkha National Liberation Front activist lost their life while CPI (M) supporters sustained injuries following confrontations.

Amid this unrest, a group of Gorkhas demanding an independent homeland set ablaze no less than 11 houses, primarily occupied by CPI (M) supporters. India extended an olive branch to aid in resolving the political turmoil in Kampuchea, should regional nations so choose. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, speaking at a press conference following his two-day visit to Thailand, outlined India's readiness to utilize its "immense prestige and influence" to seek a political resolution, following Thai Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda's request.

Separately, officials within Tihar Jail uncovered a suspect knife crafted inside the jail premises, allegedly intended for use in an assassination attempt. Babu Khan, known as Pahlwan and serving a life sentence, confessed to crafting the weapon. Tensions between rival factions within the jail ensued as they accused each other of orchestrating the alleged murder plot.