Indian Timeline ( 1947 - 2004 )

Today, my nation turns 58 years young. On this eve, lets quickly take a look at the nation’s history.

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1947 Aug 15 - India won Independence from the British Empire. Clashes between the Hindu- Muslim community occured along the West and East Pakistan borders
1948 Jan 30 - Mahatma was assasinated by Nathuram Godse
Jan 25, 1950 - Election Commission is established
Jan 26, 1950 - The Constitution comes into force making India a republic, the day is observed as Republic Day ever since.
Jan 26, 1950 - Dr. Rajendra Prasad moves in to Rashtrapati Bhavan as the first President of India.
Apr 29, 1954 - India signs Panchsheel pact with Chin
Nov 1, 1956 - Andhra Pradesh Formation day
Jun, 1962 - Chinese Agrresion on Indian Mainland on the East.
May 27, 1964 - Death of Jawahar Lal Nehru. Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes the new PM.
Jan 26, 1965 - Hindi becomes the official language of India
Sep 6-22, 1965 - First Indo-Pak war
Jan 3, 1966 - Tashkent Agreement signed between Shastri and Ayub khan at Tashkent in present day USSR
Jan 11, 1966 - Lal Bahadur Shastri dies due to heart attack at Tashkent. Indira Gandhi named as the new Prime Minister
Dec 3-11, 1971 - Second indo-Pak war on the East Pakistan issue. Paksitan forced to part with its East Pakistan. Bangladesh formed. Sheik Mujibur Rehman becomes the first President of Bangladesh

May 18, 1974 - Smiling Buddha, India’s First fission "peaceful nuclear explosive" test
May 26, 1975 - Sikkim becomes a part of India
Jun, 1975 - In a historic judgement, Supreme Court rejects the candidancy of India Gandhi as a member of parliament
Jun 26, 1975 - Indira Gandhi declared Emergency in India. Prresidential rule implemented through out the country, during which the press as censored and millions arrested
March 1977 - Indira Gandhi faces a worst defeat as the first non-Congress goverment comes to power at the centre. Morarji Desai becomes the Prime Minister
Nov, 1977 - More than 10,00 people die when a cyclone hit India’s south east coast
1982 - Indira Gandhi comes back to power with a thumping majority. Becomes the Prime Minister for the second time
1983 - India wins the first cricket world cup under the Kapil dev at Lords, London
Jun, 1984 - Operation Blue Star. More than 1000 people killed in a military operation in the Amritsar’s Golden Temple, Sikh’s holiest shrine.
Oct 31, 1984 - Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assasinated by her own body gaurds at her residence. An anti-sikh riot took place, killing more than 2500 sikhs in north India. Rajiv Gandhi named as the next Prime Minister
Dec, 1984 - Deadly gas leaks from the pesticide plant owned by US based Union Carbide in Bhopal, killing 6,500 people and injuring around 20,000. It’s named as one of the worst Industrial disasters in the world
Jun 23, 1985 - Kanishka, the toronto-Bombay flight blown up killing all the passengers, mostly Canadians, on the board
1989 - L K Advani goes on his first Rath Yatra
Mar 1990 - Indian Peace Keeping forces pulled out of Sri Lanka
Nov, 1990 - V.P.Singh resigns and Chandra Sekhar becomes the New Prime Minister
May 21, 1991 - Rajiv Gandhi was assasinated in Sri Perambadur
June 15, 1991 - Congress party won the majority votes in the General Elections
Jun 21, 1991 - P.V.Narasimha Rao becomes the Prime Minister. The first minority goverment forms. Manmohan Singh becomes the Financial Minister. India launches sweeping economic reforms by opening up trade and Industry and by dimantling the age old socialist structure
Dec 6, 1992 - Black Day. The 16th century Babri Masjid demolition takes place in Ayodhya. Country wide communal riots happen. Around 3000 people die
Mar 12, 1993 - Bombay blasts occur, killing 250 people. Dawood Ibrahim named the main suspect
May 2, 1996 - In the general elections, BJP emerges the single largest party. Atal Bihar Vajpayee sworn in as PM. But soon resigns as he fails to prove his majority. H.D.Deva Gowda becomes the new Prime Minister of the United Front Government
Mar 30, 1997 - Congress withdraws support to United Front, accusing H.D.DeveGowda of poor leadership.
Apr 21, 1997 - I.K.Gujral becomes the 10th Indian Prime Minister
Nov 28, 1997 - Gujral resigns as PM after Congress withdraws support to United Front. Mid-term elections ordered by President. Sonia Gandhi joins the Congress Campaign
Mar 2, 1998 - Once again, BJP and its allies emerges as the single largest party with 251 out of 539 member Parliament. A.B.Vajpayee named unanimously as the new PM
Mar 28, 1998 - BJP wins the vote of confidence on the floor of the house by 13 votes
May 11, 1998 - India, under Atal Bihari Bajpayee, conducts three underground nuclear tests near the Pakistan border. Sanctions imposed on the country by US, Europe and japan
Oct 18, 1998 - Pakistan and India enter the first peace dialogue
Feb 20, 1999 - PM A.B.Vajpayee makes the maiden trip to Pakistan on the cross-border bus service
Apr, 1999 - AIDMK withdraws support to BJP’s goverment. K.R.Narayanan, the then President asks PM to prove the majority through the vote of confidence. BJP loses by one vote. End of the 13 month BJP government. Early elections calledJul, 1999 - Kargil War. India re-captures the Tiger Hill. All the infiltrators cleared, it says
Oct, 1999 - BJP once again wins the General Elections and Atal Bihari Vajpayee becomes the PM for the third time, with Jawahar Lal Nehru being the only other Indian to become PM so many times
Jan 26, 2001 - A massive earth quake strikes Gujarat. Its noted as 7.9 on Richter’s Scale. Around 30, 000 people die
Apr 18, 2001 - The GSLV-D1 (Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle) was successfully test-fired from SHAR (Sriharikota). This gives India an edge in the space technology. India joins the elite club of countries
May 13, 2001 - The eminent writer and scholar, R.K.Narayan dies at the age of 94
Oct 24, 2001 - The controversial anti-terrorist Act POTA was passed as an Ordinance by the President K.R.Narayanan
Mar 03, 2002 - The Parliament Speaker, Balayogi is killed in a helicopter crash
2003 - Parliament, for the first time, worked for 133 days :)))
Apr, 2004 - The 14th Lok Sabha elections’ first phase begins
May 13, 2004 - NDA losses. Congress invited to form goverment at centre
May 20, 2004 - Eminent Economist Dr. Manmonhan Singh is sworn in as the Prime Minsiter of India. Congress forms UPA ( United Progressive Alliance). Sonia Gandhi named the chair person of UPA.
Nov 11, 2004 - Kanchi Sankaracarya Jayendra Saraswati is arresed on the charges of Murder and cheat (Cheating and Goonda Act)
Dec 23, 2004 - P.V.Narasimha Rao dies
Dec 26, 2004 - The Tsunami hits the Indian coast.15,000 people reportedly killed. Many more missing

Jai Hind