1996 in India
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- President of IndiaPresident of IndiaThe 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...
– Shankar Dayal SharmaShankar Dayal SharmaShankar Dayal Sharma was the ninth President of India serving from 1992 to 1997. Prior to his presidency, Dr Sharma had been the eighth Vice President of India, serving under President Ramaswamy Venkataraman... - Prime Minister of IndiaPrime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
– P. V. Narasimha RaoP. V. Narasimha RaoPamulaparti Venkata "Narasimha Rao" was the ninth Prime Minister of India . He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the Licence Raj. He is often referred to as...
until May 16, Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
until June 1, H. D. Deve GowdaH. D. Deve GowdaHaradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda was the 11th Prime Minister of India and the 14th chief minister of the state of Karnataka ....
January to June
- January — A major corruption scandal erupts involving allegations that many senior politicians and civil servants have received bribes from prominent businessman Surendra JainSurendra JainSurendra Kumar Jain is a right-wing Hindu activist from India. He is currently the all India secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He is a lecturer in commerce at the Rohtak College. He was the third president of the Bajrang Dal after Vinay Katiyar and Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya. He was succeeded as...
. - January — Tensions with Pakistan rise sharply and there is an exchange of mortar and machine-gun fire across the Line of ControlLine of ControlThe term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
in KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. - 29 January — S. R. BommaiS. R. BommaiS.R. Bommai was an Indian Politician who has served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka and as the Human Resource Development Minister in the Cabinet of H.D. Deve Gowda...
resigns as president of the Janata DalJanata DalJanata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...
party and is replaced by Laloo Prasad Yadav. - 27 April, 2 May and 7 May — In general elections the ruling Congress PartyIndian National CongressThe 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...
is defeated and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata PartyThe Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) becomes the largest single party in parliament. Phoolan DeviPhoolan DeviPhoolan Devi , popularly known as the "Bandit Queen", was an Indian dacoit and later a politician. After being gang-raped by some upper-caste members of her gang, Phoolan Devi turned a bandit, and killed 22 upper-caste villagers in 1981. Following this, she became notorious across India as a bandit...
, former bandit queen is elected to Parliament from the Samajwadi PartySamajwadi PartySamajwadi Party is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party...
. - 17 May to 28 May - Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
, leader of the Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata PartyThe Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
, is elected the new prime minister of India, replacing P. V. Narasimha RaoP. V. Narasimha RaoPamulaparti Venkata "Narasimha Rao" was the ninth Prime Minister of India . He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the Licence Raj. He is often referred to as...
of the Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe 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...
. However, the party does not receive an overall majority and Vajpayee resigns thirteen days later rather than face a no confidence vote, and is replaced by the United FrontUnited Front (India)The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral...
, led Deve Gowda. - 1 June — H.D. Deve Gowda is sworn in at the head of the United FrontUnited Front (India)The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral...
, a coalition of 13 parties which Congress supports but does not join. Gowda's new cabinet brings in powerful regional figures, mixing low-caste and minority Muslim leaders with veterans of the socialist movement. - 28 June — Communists join the government for the first time since independence.
July to December
- 11 July — A Delhi court summons Congress president P.V. Narasimha Rao to testify as the co-accused in a cheating case.
- 28 August — At least 194 pilgrims are reported to have frozen to death in northern Kashmir after being stranded by violent rain and snow storms.
- 19 September — The government of Gujarat under Chief Minister Suresh Chandra Mehta is sacked on recommendation of Prime Minister Gowda, and federal rule is imposed over the state. The move comes a day after the BJPBharatiya Janata PartyThe Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
government in Gujarat won a controversial vote of confidence in the state legislature. Mehta won the vote after the acting assembly speaker (a BJP member) suspended all opposition legislators. Fighting broke out on the floor of the assembly after marshals tried to force the suspended legislators to leave. Witnesses said lawmakers hurled pin cushions and microphones at each other. Several lawmakers and journalists were reportedly injured in the scuffles. - 22 September — Rao resigns as president of the Congress Party.
- 23 September - Sitaram KesriSitaram KesriSitaram Kesri was elected to the Lok Sabha from Katihar Lok Sabha Constituency when he won on a janata party ticket and was given a last moment call by then Bihar Janata Party President S N Sinha; he represented Bihar in the Rajya Sabha several times: July 1971 to April 1974, April 1974 to April...
is elected Congress president. - 10 October — Rao is arrested on fresh charges of forgery.
- 11 October — An Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
state election returns a hung assembly; the local power struggle sharpens conflicts between Congress and coalition parties at national level. - 7 November - A devastating Category 4 CycloneCycloneIn meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
strikes Andhra PradeshAndhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India. The storm surge sweeps fishing villages out to sea, over 2,000 people die. 95% of the crops are completely destroyed. - 12 November — A Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
jumbo jet and a KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
IlyushinIlyushinOpen Joint Stock Company «Ilyushin Aviation Complex» , operating as Ilyushin or Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a Russian design bureau and aircraft manufacturer, founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Ilyushin was established under the Soviet Union. Its operations began on January 13, 1933, by...
cargo plane collide near New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, killing 349 people in the world's deadliest mid-air collision. - 28 November — Chinese PresidentPresident of the People's Republic of ChinaThe President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
Jiang ZeminJiang ZeminJiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
begins the first visit by a Chinese head of state to India. - 19 December — Rao resigns as Congress parliamentary leader, his last official party position.
- 30 December - In the Indian state of AssamAssamAssam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, a passenger train is bombed by BodoBodo peopleThe Bodos are an ethnic and linguistic community, early settlers of Assam in the North-East of India. According to the 1991 census, there were 1.2 million Bodos in Assam which makes for 5.3% of the total population in the state. Bodos belong to a larger ethnic group called the Bodo-Kachari. The...
separatists, killing 26.
Deaths
- 18 January - N. T. Rama RaoN. T. Rama RaoNandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician...
, actor, directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and politician (b.19231923 in India-Events:*The Madras Province Swarajya Party was established under the leadership of S. Sathyamurthy and S. Srinivasa Iyengar.-Births:*10 March - Ranjit Lal Jetley, soldier and scientist.*21 March - Nirmala Srivastava, founder of Sahaja Yoga....
). - 3 July - Raaj KumarRaaj KumarRaaj Kumar , born Kulbushan Pandit was an Indian actor in Hindi movies. Raaj Kumar started out as sub-inspector of Mumbai police in the late 1940s before he turned to acting with the 1952 film Rangili...
, actor (b.19261926 in India-Events:*15 July - BEST buses make its début in Bombay.*24 November - Sri Aurobindo retires, leaving the Mother to run the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry.-January to June:*8 January - Kelucharan Mohapatra, Odissi dancer and guru ....
). - 29 July - Aruna Asaf AliAruna Asaf AliAruna Asaf Ali , born Aruna Ganguli, was an Indian independence activist. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.She was 87 years old at the time of her death.-Early life:Aruna Asaf Ali was...
, independence fighter (b.19091909 in India-Births:*3 January - M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, actor and Carnatic singer .*10 February - Pisharoth Rama Pisharoty, physicist and meteorologist .*6 April - Alagappa Chettiar, businessman and philanthropist ....
).
Full date unknown
- P. K. Venugopalan NambiarP. K. Venugopalan NambiarP. K. Venugopalan Nambiar was an Indian agricultural scientist credited with the development of the first hybrid variety of black pepper in the world, Panniyur-1...
, agricultural scientist (b.19241924 in India-Events:*12 January - Gopinath Saha shoots a man he erroneously thinks is a Police commissioner of Calcutta, Charles Augustus Tegart - he is arrested soon after.*February - Mohandas Gandhi is released prematurely on medical grounds....
).
See also
- Bollywood films of 1996Bollywood films of 1996A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1996.-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1996. The films are ranked according to domestic net gross as estimated by Boxofficeindia.com-1996:...