Giani Zail Singh
| 7th President of India | |
|---|---|
| In office 25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987 |
|
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi |
| Vice President | Mohammad Hidayatullah R. Venkataraman |
| Preceded by | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Succeeded by | R. Venkataraman |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 14 January 1980 – 22 June 1982 |
|
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Yashwantrao Chavan |
| Succeeded by | R. Venkataraman |
| Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement | |
| In office 12 March 1983 – 6 September 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy |
| Succeeded by | R. Venkataraman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Zail Singh 5 May 1916 Sidhwan, Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab, India) |
| Died | 25 December 1994 (aged 78) Chandigarh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Pardhan Kaur (1919-2002)[1] |
| Children | 1 (son), 3 (daughters)[1] |
| Alma mater | Shaheed Sikh Missionary College |
Gyani Zail Singh 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was the seventh President of India serving from 1982 to 1987. Prior to his presidency, he was a politician with the Indian National Congress party, and had held several ministerial posts in the Union Cabinet, including that of Home Minister.He also served as the Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1983 to 1986.
His presidency was marked by Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He died of injuries in 1994 after a car accident.
He was born in Sandhwan, Faridkot district on 5 May 1916 to Kishan Singh. He was a Sikh by religion, was given the title of Gyani, as he was educated and learned about Guru Granth Sahib at Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar.
In 1982 he was unanimously nominated to serve as the President. Nonetheless, some in the media felt that the President had been chosen for being an Indira loyalist rather than an eminent person. “If my leader had said I should pick up a broom and be a sweeper, I would have done that. She chose me to be President,” Singh was quoted to have said after his election. He took the oath of office on 25 July 1982. He was the first Sikh to hold the office.
He served beside Gandhi, and protocol dictated that he should be briefed every week by her on the affairs of the state. On 31 May 1984, The day before Operation Blue Star, he met with Gandhi for more than an hour, but she omitted even sharing a word about her plan. Following the operation he was pressured to resign from his post by Sikhs. He decided against resignation fearing to aggravate the situation on advice from Yogi Bhajan. He was subsequently called before the Akal Takhat to apologize and explain his inaction at the desecration of the Harimandir Sahib and killing of innocent Sikhs. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October in the same year, and he appointed her elder son Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister.
On 29 November 1994, Zail Singh suffered multiple injuries following a motor accident near Kiratpur Sahib in Ropar district when a truck driving down the wrong side of the road hit the car he was travelling in. Singh died in Chandigarh where he had been undergoing treatment on Christmas Day in 1994, aged 78. The Government of India announced seven days of official mourning following his death. He was cremated at the Raj Ghat Memorial in Delhi. He is survived by his two daughters. He was also survived by his wife, who outlived him for seven years and died on 12 May 2002.
A commemorative postage stamp was issued by India’s Department of Posts on the occasion of Singh’s first death anniversary in 1995.
Latest Govt Job & Exam Updates: