Shri Krishna Singh (Sinha) (21 October 1887 – 31 January 1961), also known as Shri Babu, was the first

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

(1946–61). Except for the period of World War II, Sinha was the chief minister of Bihar from the time of the first Congress Ministry in 1937 until his death in 1961. He led the

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

entry into the Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar. He was the first chief minister in the country to abolish the

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

i system. He was imprisoned for a total of about eight years in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. He held mass meetings at which he spoke. He was known as ''Bihar Kesari'' for his "lionlike roars" in public speaking. The former

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

Pratibha Patil Pratibha Devisingh Patil (born 19 December 1934), also known as Pratibha Patil Shekhawat, is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She was the first woman to become the president of India. A m ...

, released a book on the letters of exchange between Sinha and prime minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

titled ''Freedom and Beyond''. The correspondence between Nehru and Sinha touches on subjects such as Indian democracy in the making in the early years of Independence, Centre-State relations, role of governor, turbulence in Nepal, zamindari abolition, and education. Sinha gave his personal collection of 17,000 books to the public library in

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

in 1959 which is now named ''Sri Krishna Seva Shadan'' after him which in 2016 was reportedly in poor condition due to lack of funding.

Early life and family

Sinha was born in a

Bhumihar Bhumihar, also locally called Bhuinhar and Babhan, a Hindu Indian caste system, caste mainly found in Bihar (including the Mithila (region), Mithila region), the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, the Bundelkhand region of Madhya ...

family on 21 October 1887 in the village of Maur, Barbigha in the

Munger district Munger district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. The city of Munger is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of Munger Division. Its literacy rate of 73.3% is higher than ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

(now part of

Sheikhpura district Sheikhpura district is one of the thirty-eight districts in Bihar, India and a part of the Munger division with Sheikhpura as its administrative headquarters. Established on 31 July 1994 from the Munger district due to political efforts by ...

). His mother died of plague when he was five years old. He was educated in the village school and at Zila School in Munger. In 1906 he joined

Patna College Patna College is a constituent state aided College of Patna University which was established in 1863 during the British Raj. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in science, arts and commerce as well as some vocational courses like ...

, which was then an affiliate of the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Calcutta and then doctorate of law from

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern e ...

and started practicing in Munger from 1915. In the meantime,he married and had two sons, Shivshankar and Bandishankar (Swaraj Babu) who later held various posts in the state government.

Independence movement

Sinha first met

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

in 1916 at

Central Hindu College Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and fou ...

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

. He gave up practising law in 1921 to take part in Gandhi's

non-cooperation movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

. He was arrested for the first time in 1922 and Congress

Seva Dal The Seva Dal is an organization of the Indian National Congress. The organization has a chapter in all the states of India. The members of the organization are known for wearing the Gandhi topi. It is headed by a Chief Organiser Shri Lalji Des ...

was declared illegal. For this he was known as ''Bihar Kesari''. He was released from jail in 1923 and on the day of Tulsi Jayanti performed in the play ''Bharat Darshan'' at Central School,

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a semi- planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision and the largest city of the district. It is located 1 ...

. In the same year he became member of the

All India Congress Committee The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from States and union territories of India, state-level Pradesh Congress Commit ...

. In 1927 Sinha became a member of the Legislative Council and in 1929 became General Secretary of the

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee or (BPCC) is the political unit of the Indian National Congress for the state of Bihar. It is responsible for organizing and coordinating the party's activities and campaigns within the state, as well as se ...

(BPCC). In 1930, he participated in the Namak Satyagrah at Garhpura. He suffered severe scalding injuries to his hands and chest while being arrested, was imprisoned for six months and then was again arrested and imprisoned for two years during the

civil disobedience movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

. He was released after the

Gandhi–Irwin Pact The Gandhi–Irwin Pact was a political agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, on 5 March 1931 before the Second Round Table Conference in London. The Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, had announced in October 1929 ...

and again started with his nationalist work and work with the Kisan Sabha. On 9 January 1932 he was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1,000. He was released from

Hazaribagh Hazaribagh is a city and a municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Hazaribagh district and divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is known ...

Jail in October 1933. He was involved in relief and rehabilitation after the

1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

. He was the President of Munger Zila Parishad from 1934 to 1937. In 1935, he was elected President of the Bihar Provincial Congress Committee in 1935 and 1953. He was elected to the Central Legislature in 1935–36. Shri Sinha was elected to the Bihar Legislature Assembly in 1935, 1946, 1952 and 1957 and re-elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party in all the three successive terms. Sinha was also the President of the BPCC in 1936 with A.N. Sinha as his deputy, a member of its working committee and the two held the positions for over thirty years. On 20 July 1937, he became the Premier of Bihar province when Congress came to power. Under the

Government of India Act of 1935 The Government of India Act 1935 ( 25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. 42) was an act passed by the British Parliament that originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest act that the British Parliament ever enacted until the Greater L ...

, Sinha formed his Cabinet at

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

on 20 July 1937. He and his colleague A.N. Sinha disagreed with the governor on the issue of the release of political prisoners and resigned. The then-governor had to accede to the demands for release of prisoners from

Cellular Jail The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī (), was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many ...

(Kalapani) and the Bihar Tenancy Act was reformed in favour of peasants. They then resumed office. But they again resigned in 1939, as did all Congress chief ministers, over the question of involving India in the Second World War without the consent of the Indian people. Along with A.N. Sinha, the first deputy chief minister cum finance minister of Bihar, he is considered by some to be one of the makers of modern Bihar. Sinha opposed the

caste system in India The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic instance of social classification based on castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, espe ...

. In 1940 Gandhi described him as "the first

Satyagrah Satyāgraha (from ; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is ...

i" of Bihar while A.N. Sinha was the second. He was jailed for nine months (22 November 1940 – 26 August 1941). During the Quit India movement, which started in 1942, he was arrested on 10 August. He was released in 1944 from Hazaribagh jail after he became seriously ill. In the same year his wife died at Prince of Wales Medical College. Shri Krishna Singh with Morarji Desai

As the former chief minister of Bihar he attended the

Simla Conference The Simla Conference was a meeting between Lord Wavell, the viceroy of India, and the major political leaders of British India at the Viceregal Lodge in June 1945 in Simla. When it was clear that British intended to leave India, they despe ...

and also became a member of the

Constituent Assembly of India Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated body to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated ...

, which framed the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

. Sinha served Bihar continuously from 1946 until his death on 31 January 1961 at the age of 73. In 1978, the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

established a science museum called the Srikrishna Science Centre. The largest conference hall in Patna,

Shri Krishna Memorial Hall Shri Krishna Memorial Hall (popularly known as S K Memorial Hall) is a multipurpose arena located in the Gandhi Maidan area of Patna, Bihar. It was built in honour of the first Chief Minister of Bihar, Sri Krishna Sinha. Originally completed i ...

is also named after him.

Tenure as Chief minister

Shri Krishna Sinha meeting Jawaharlal Nehru

His tenure, spanning over 14 years after

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

, was marked by transformative reforms and progressive governance that laid the foundation for modern Bihar. Shri Babu was a strong advocate of social justice, education, and economic development. One of his most notable achievements was the abolition of the

zamindari system A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

, which aimed to end feudal landholding practices and redistribute land to the poor and marginalized farmers. This monumental reform brought significant relief to the rural populace and contributed to reducing socio-economic inequalities in the state. During his tenure, Shri Krishna Singh prioritized educational development and played a vital role in establishing several educational institutions to promote literacy and higher learning. He worked tirelessly to ensure access to education for underprivileged and marginalized communities, which was a significant step towards social equality. Shri Babu also championed industrial development in Bihar, laying the groundwork for large-scale industrial projects such as the

Barauni Refinery Barauni Refinery is an oil refinery located in Begusarai city in the state of Bihar, operated by Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). It was the dream project of Shri Krishna Singh (politician), Shri Krishna Singh the first List of chief ministers of ...

and the

Heavy Engineering Corporation Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited or HECL is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. HECL was established in the year 1958 Barauni Fertilizer Plant and Sindri Fertilizer Plant were indeed established and became important for agricultural development in the region. He played a role in the planning stages for the development of Bokaro as an industrial hub. The

Bokaro Steel Plant Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) is located in the Bokaro district of Jharkhand. It is the fourth integrated public sector steel plant in India built with Soviet technology. It is the second largest steel plant in India after Bhilai Steel Plant and 3 ...

, however, was established later, in the 1960s, under the leadership of his successors. Nevertheless, his support for industrialization in the region set the foundation for Bokaro's later development. Bihar, which has significant coal reserves, was central to India's coal production during this period. Shri Krishna Singh’s government did push for the development of the state's coal resources, particularly in regions like

Jharia Jharia is a neighbourhood in Dhanbad city in Dhanbad Sadar subdivision of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state, India. Jharia's economy is heavily dependent on the local coal fields, used to make coke. However, fires in the coal fields have mad ...

and

, to fuel industrial projects. He was indeed supportive of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), which was established in 1948 to manage the

Damodar River Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The valley is rich in mineral resources and is known for large-scale mining and industrial activity. It was also known as the Sorrow o ...

basin's resources. This project was focused on flood control, irrigation, and electricity generation. Shri Krishna Singh advocated for projects like these to aid Bihar's economic growth. Rajendra Setu

During his tenure as Chief Minister, Shri Krishna Singh envisioned the development of an industrial corridor through

Begusarai Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the 38 districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the river Gan ...

Bakhtiyarpur Bakhtiyarpur is a town and a municipality notified area, near Patna City in Patna district in the state of Bihar, India. Bakhtiyarpur is under the Patna Sahib (Lok Sabha constituency), and is a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Bihar in Patna Distri ...

, and

Fatuha Fatuha also spelled Fatuwah or Fatuwa, is a Satellite town in proposed Patna Metropolitan Region, in the Patna district in the Indian state of Bihar. Fatuha lies 24 km east of Patna the capital of Bihar. Fatuha is an important industrial c ...

. To facilitate this vision, he oversaw the construction of

Rajendra Setu Rajendra Setu, or Simaria Bridge, is a bridge across the Ganges that was the first to link the northern and southern portions of the state of Bihar. The location of the bridge was based on the work of M. Visvesvaraya, who was more than 90 years ...

, the first railroad bridge on the Ganges in independent India, completed in Mokama-Simaria in 1959. This landmark infrastructure project played a pivotal role in boosting connectivity and industrial growth in Bihar. Shri Krishna Singh was a staunch supporter of

's principles and worked to eradicate untouchability and caste discrimination. He actively implemented policies to uplift Dalits and backward classes, ensuring their greater participation in social, economic, and political spheres. His government also initiated welfare measures for farmers, laborers, and industrial workers, solidifying his reputation as a leader dedicated to the people's welfare. As a leader, Shri Babu was admired for his administrative acumen, integrity, and unwavering commitment to public service. His visionary leadership transformed Bihar into a progressive state and earned him the title “ Bihar Kesari” (Lion of Bihar). Shri Krishna Singh's tenure as Chief Minister is remembered as a period of significant progress, social reform, and economic transformation in Bihar's history.

Death and legacy

Shri Krishna Singh, affectionately known as Shri Babu, died on January 31, 1961, in

, Bihar, India. His death marked the end of a significant era in Bihar's political history, as he had been the state's first Chief Minister, serving from 1946 until his demise. A unanimous resolution was adopted at Sadaqat Ashram, Patna, by senior Congress leaders, including

Meira Kumar Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress, she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the Minister of Water Resources for a brief peri ...

, Nikhil Kumar, and others, urging the conferment of the Bharat Ratna on Shri Krishna Singh for his contributions to Bihar’s social and economic development. Leaders from other parties, including the BJP, and the Bihar government in 2021 have also supported this demand, recognizing his enduring legacy as a reformist and visionary leader.

References

External links