Rajinder Kumar Dhawan (16 July 1937 – 6 August 2018) was an Indian politician who was one of the leaders of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

and a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, wikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 80, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legisl ...

. As personal secretary and confidant to Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, Dhawan was a witness to

Indira Gandhi assassination Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated at 9:30 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, an I ...

in 1984. As personal assistant to the prime minister, he attained unparalleled power and influence particularly during India's Emergency. As the "door keeper" to the prime minister, he was well positioned to control information and access and proved himself instrumental in civil service appointments. He graduated from

Punjab University, Chandigarh Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...

. The head of the investigating commission, Justice

Manharlal Pranlal Thakkar Manharlal Pranlal Thakkar or M. P. Thakkar (born 4 November 1923, date of death unknown) was an Indian judge who was a Justice of the Supreme Court of India, and Chairman of Twelfth Law Commission of India. Early life Thakkar was born in Burma, B ...

, described Dhawan's responses to questioning on the assassination as unreliable and said that the ''needle of suspicion significantly points to his complicity or involvement''. However, Indira's son,

Rajiv Rājīv (Devanagari: राजीव, Bengali script: রাজীব) is a popular Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepalese male name, also spelt Rajeev, Rajive, Rajib, Rajeeb, Rajiva and Rajiba. It is said that the lotus flower (''Nelumbo nuc ...

, after initially removing Dhawan from his post, cleared him of all charges. He was jailed during the Janata Party Government in 1977 on refusal to depose against Indira Gandhi. He served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Urban Development Ministry in the

P.V. Narasimha Rao Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, statesman and politician who served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to Indi ...

headed Congress government from September 1995 to February 1996 Dhawan died, aged 81, in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

on 6 August 2018.

Personal life

On 16 July 2012, R. K. Dhawan married Achla, at the age of 74.

References

Sources

#Delhi Correspondent: A Confidential Agent. ''Economist'', 25 Mar. 1989, pp. 38 & 40. #Sanjoy Hazarika; India released stinging report on Gandhi's Death. ''New York Times'', 28 Mar. 1989. #Hewitt B: A swirl of suspicion. ''Newsweek'', 10 April 1989, p. 17. #Barbara Crossette; Gandhi, His Luster Dimmed after 4 years, Faces Uncertain Political Future. ''New York Times'', 22 Apr. 1989.

External links

Congress to field Satish Sharma, Jairam Ramesh
'' The Hindu'' 1937 births 2018 deaths Indian National Congress politicians Rajya Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha members from Bihar People of the Emergency (India) Panjab University alumni People from Chiniot District Union ministers of state of India with independent charge Prisoners and detainees of India Indian National Congress politicians from Andhra Pradesh Indian National Congress politicians from Bihar {{Bihar-INC-politician-stub