On August 20, 1985, Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, the leader of the Akali Dal political party in India, was assassinated while addressing a religious congregation at Sherpur village in Punjab state.

Longowal was shot and killed by two gunmen as he was speaking to the crowd, and several other people were also injured in the attack. The assassination was a major event in India's history and had a significant impact on the political landscape of Punjab, which was then experiencing a wave of political violence and unrest. The perpetrators of the assassination were never identified, and the motive for the attack remains unclear.