55 yrs on, son rakes up political conspiracy in Kairon’s killing
CHANDIGARH: Fifty-five years after the assassination of Partap Singh Kairon, who was chief minister of an undivided Punjab for eight years (1956-64), a book co-authored by his younger son Gurinder Singh Kairon has raked up political conspiracy in the murder that has so far been considered a closed chapter in turbulent history of the border state.
“This is an honest effort to tell the true story of the man who had such a deep and long-lasting impact on Punjab, says the preface of the book ‘ Partap Singh Kairon: A visionary’ which shares authorship with Panjab University historian M Rajivlochan and his civil servant wife Meeta Rajivlochan. “If he had had more time, the history of this region would have been different”.
Curiously, the book puts the spotlight on the rivalry between
Kairon and then Punjab Congress leader Chaudhary Devi Lal, who later became deputy prime minister and Haryana chief minister, raising a question mark on the “closeness” between the latter and one of the four assassins of Kairon who was a favourite of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and one of the tallest leaders in post-partition Punjab.
The book records how the Kairon family suspected a “political foul play” after a CBI probe into the assassination was denied despite requests from Punjab MLAS. “Why would an unknown person who was already wanted by the police for murder attract even more police attention by killing someone who was no longer a chief minister? Could there have been a deeper political conspiracy?” the book says, quoting the Kairon family. “The question that continues to remain alive is this: Who was the real murderer? Why was political
conspiracy ruled out?”
THE ASSASSINATION
A year after Us-educated Kairon stepped down as chief minister in 1964, he was waylaid and shot dead on February 6, 1965 on Grand Trunk Road near Rai in Sonepat when he was on way from Delhi to Chandigarh. Also, killed with him were three others — Kairon’s friend Baldev Kapur, a director in Punjab government; his personal assistant Ajit Singh and driver Dalip Singh.
Three of four assassins Sucha Singh, Baldev Singh and Nahar Singh Fauji, were sentenced to death by a trial court in Rohtak, which was confirmed by the high court on September 21, 1970, and they were hanged to death.
The fourth assassin, Daya Singh, was arrested in 1972 and sentenced to death in December 1978. Police investigations had linked Kairon’s assassination to personal revenge by the main accused Sucha Singh and had found no political conspiracy.
The book records how Devi Lal, one of the opponents of Kairon, began to take interest in pardon for Daya Singh. “It’s not clear how much of Lal’s influence worked, but in April 1991, the
Supreme Court of India converted the death sentence of Daya Singh into life imprisonment and was finally freed in 1994,” reads the book. Devi Lal was deputy Prime Minister then.
“The closeness between Lal and Daya Singh indicated an underlying conspiracy,” says Gurinder Singh, adding the book is based on facts.
WAS AGAINST PUNJAB REORGANISATION
“Kairon was of the firm opinion that the greatest strength of Punjab was its large size and tremendous geographical and cultural diversity, with the Punjabi language and culture providing a unifying template,” reads the book.
Masters in economics from University of California,berkeley, and political science from Michigan State University, Kairon’s love for Punjabi language was exceptional. When he took over as the chief minister, he introduced Punjabi in official work and also in the courts.
THE GOLD HUNT
A few months after he resigned as CM in June 1964, the compound of Kairon’s village house was dug up to “extract hidden gold” and police were looking for ₹3 crore worth of yellow metal that never surfaced. “Did the police dig deep enough,” Kairon’s disparagers asked in the Vidhan Sabha, says the book. The authors highlight how troubles mounted for Kairon after the death of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1964. Within three weeks of Nehru’s demise, Kairon announced to retire from public life and sent his resignation when Lal Bahadur Shashtri took over, it says.
By then Kairon was already facing an inquiry by the Das Commission into the alleged wrongdoings during his tenure.