Giani Zail Singh was an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n politician and member of the Congress Party

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

. He served as the seventh President of India

President of India

The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...

.
His term was marked by Operation Blue Star

Operation Blue Star

Operation Blue Star ) 3– 6 June 1984 was an Indian military operation, ordered by Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar...

, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots

1984 anti-Sikh riots

The 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms / riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a sikh genocide there was four days of violence in northern India, particularly Delhi, during which armed mobs killed Sikhs, looted and set fire to Sikh homes, businesses and schools, and attacked gurdwaras, in response to the...

. He died of injuries in 1994 after a car accident.

Early Life

He was born in Sandhwan

Sandhwan

Sandhwan is also known as Sandhwan-Pharala is a village in Nawanshahr district of Punjab, India....

, Faridkot district

Faridkot District

Faridkot district is one of the twenty districts in the state of Punjab in North-West Republic of India. According to Punjab's Geo-Area, Faridkot is a Malwa District. It is one of the biggest cotton markets in South-East Asia. The name 'Faridkot' is derived from Baba Farid, a god-lover who wanted...

 on May 5, 1916 to Kishan Singh. He was a Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

 by religion, was given the title of Giani, as he was educated and learned about Guru Granth Sahib

Guru Granth Sahib

Sri Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708...

 at Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar

Amritsar

Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...

. However, he did not have formal secular education.

State Politics (1947-1971)

In 1947, with the reorganization of India

States Reorganisation Act

The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries and governance of India's states and territories. The act reorganised the boundaries of India's states along linguistic lines, and amended the Indian Constitution to replace the three types of states, known as Parts A, B,...

 along secular lines an, he opposed Harindar Singh, ruler of Faridkot State

Faridkot State

Faridkot State, with its capital at Faridkot, was a Princely state of Punjab. The state was established in 1763, ruled by a Jatt Sikh Brar dynasty and was an offspring of Kotkapura. Faridkot was occupied by Ranjit Singh of Sikh Empire in 1803 but had to be returned to the former rulers in 1807 on...

 and was incarcerated and tortured for five years. He was called on to be the Revenue Minister of the recently formed Patiala and East Punjab States Union

Patiala and East Punjab States Union

The Patiala and East Punjab States Union was a state of India from 1948-56. It was created by combining eight princely states: Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Kapurthala, Faridkot, Kalsia, Malerkotla and Nalagarh. The state was inaugurated on July 15, 1948 and formally became a state of India in 1950. The...

, under Chief Minister

Chief Minister

A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

 Gian Singh Rarewala

Gian Singh Rarewala

Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala was an Indian politician and the first Chief Minister of the former Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union.-Early life:...

 in 1949 and later became Minister of Agriculture in 1951. From 1956 to 1962, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

.

Chief Minister of Punjab (1972-77)

Zail Singh was elected as a Congress

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee is the affiliate of the Indian National Congress in the state of Punjab. It is presently headed by Captain Amarinder Singh, a former Chief Minister of Punjab....

 Chief Minister of Punjab in 1972. He arranged massive religious gatherings, started public functions with a traditional Sikh prayer, inaugurated a highway

Guru Gobind Singh Marg

Guru Gobind Singh Marg is the route taken by tenth guru of sikhs Guru Gobind Singh from Anandpur Sahib to Talwandi Sabo. This memorable and eventful journey of 47 days by Sikh Guru and his troops has got significant place in the history of Punjab. This highway, measuring about 577 kilometres ...

 named after Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...

, and named a township

Fatehgarh Sahib

Fatehgarh Sahib is headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib district, one of the twenty districts in the state of Punjab in North-West India.-History:The city is an historically important town north of Patiala, especially for the Sikh faith...

 after the Guru's son.. He created a life long pension scheme for the freedom fighters

Indian independence movement

The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...

 of the state. He repatriated the remains of Udham Singh

Udham Singh

Udham Singh was an Indian independence activist, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer in March 1940 in what has been described as an avenging of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre....

 from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, armaments and articles belonging to Guru Gobind Singh.

Central Government

In 1980

Indian general election, 1980

India held general elections to the 7th Lok Sabha. The Janata Party came into power riding the public anger against the Congress and the Emergency but its position was weak...

, Zail Singh was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha

7th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 7th Lok Sabha, elected December 1979-January 1980. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...

, and appointed to join Indira Gandhi's cabinet as Minister for Home Affairs

Minister for Home Affairs (India)

The Home Minister, or more properly the Minister for Home Affairs, is a position in the Indian Cabinet, at both State and Union levels. The Home Ministry is one of the most important, powerful and high profile ministry after the Prime Minister...

. He is believed to have worked with her to promote the personality of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of the Damdami Taksal, a Sikh religious group based in India, who supported implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. In 1981, Bhindranwale was arrested for his suspected involvement in the murder of Jagat Narain, the proprietor of the Hind...

 at the expense of the Akali Dal leadership.

President of India

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 July 25, 1982.

He served beside Gandhi, and protocol dictated that he should be briefed every week by the her on the affairs of the state. 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 Sikhs pressured to resign his post by Sikhs. He decided against resignation fearing to aggravate the situation on advice from Yogi Bhajan

Harbhajan Singh Yogi

Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji , also known as Yogi Bhajan and Siri Singh Sahib, was a spiritual leader and entrepreneur who introduced Kundalini Yoga and Sikhism to the United States...

. 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

Indira Gandhi

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 was assassinated in 1984, and he appointed Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...

 as Prime Minister.

Latter Term

His remaining was full of controversies on account of his soured relations with Rajiv Gandhi. During this time he ensured that the PM adhered to protocols and forced him to remove V.K. Tiwari, a minister known for his tirades against the President, both inside as well as outside the parliament. Singh refused assent of the "Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill" in 1986 to show his opposition to the bill. The bill was later withdrawn by the V.P. Singh Government

9th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 9th Lok Sabha, elected May-June 1989. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...

 in 1990. Singh is believed to have contemplated the dismissal of the Rajiv Gandhi Government due to the corruption charges leveled against the Prime Minister and kickbacks in the Bofors scandal

Bofors scandal

The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer...

.

Death

On November 29, 1994 Zail Singh was involved in a serious vehicle accident near Kiratpur Sahib

Kiratpur Sahib

Kiratpur also known as Kiratpur Sahib is a town in Rupnagar district, Punjab, India. The town is the location of the Gurdwara Patal Puri where Sikhs take ashes of their dead.-Kiratpur Sahib Town:...

 in Ropar District on his way to the Anandpur Sahib

Anandpur Sahib

Anandpur Sahib is a city in Rupnagar district in the state of Punjab, India. Known as "the holy City of Bliss," it is a holy city of the Sikhs and is one of their most important sacred places, closely linked with their religious traditions and history...

. He later died at the Post Graduate Institute

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research is one of the most prestigious medical and research institutions of Asia. Located in Chandigarh, India, it is globally recognized for its quality education, medical research and training facilities as well as for the excellence of its...

, Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

 on 25 December 1994 and was cremated at the Raj Ghat Memorial near Old Delhi

Old Delhi

Old Delhi , walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty....

.