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 Em ...

and a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, 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 legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

. As personal secretary and confidant to Indian prime minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

, Dhawan was a witness to Indira Gandhi assassination 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. 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, 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 Ind ...

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 w ...

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 ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' 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