2021 in India

Events in the year 2021 in India

Incumbents

Government of India

Photo	Post	Name
	President of India	Ram Nath Kovind
	Vice-President of India Chairman of Rajya Sabha	Venkaiah Naidu
	Prime Minister of India	Narendra Modi
	Chief Justice of India	Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana
	Speaker of the Lok Sabha	Om Birla
	Chief Election Commissioner of India	Sushil Chandra
	Chief of Defence Staff	Bipin Rawat
	Lok Sabha	17th Lok Sabha

State Governments

State	Governor	Chief Minister	Party	Chief Justice
Andhra Pradesh	Biswabhusan Harichandan	Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy	YSRCP	Arup Kumar Goswami
Arunachal Pradesh	B. D. Mishra	Pema Khandu	BJP	Sudhanshu Dhulia (Gauhati High Court)
Assam	Jagdish Mukhi	Himanta Biswa Sarma	BJP	Sudhanshu Dhulia (Gauhati High Court)
Bihar	Phagu Chauhan	Nitish Kumar	JD(U)	Sanjay Karol (Patna High Court)
Chhattisgarh	Anusuiya Uikey	Bhupesh Baghel	INC	P. R. Ramachandra Menon
Goa	Mridula Sinha	Pramod Sawant	BJP	Dipankar Datta
Gujarat	Om Prakash Kohli	Vijay Rupani	BJP	Vikram Nath
Haryana	Kaptan Singh Solanki	Manohar Lal Khattar	BJP	Ravi Shankar Jha
Himachal Pradesh	Acharya Dev Vrat	Jai Ram Thakur	BJP	L. Narayana Swamy
Jharkhand	Draupadi Murmu	Hemant Soren	JMM	Ravi Ranjan
Karnataka	Vajubhai Vala	B. S. Yediyurappa	BJP	Abhay Shreeniwas Oka
Kerala	Arif Mohammad Khan	Pinarayi Vijayan	CPI(M)	S. Manikumar
Madhya Pradesh	Lalji Tandon	Shivraj Singh Chouhan	BJP	Mohammad Rafiq
Maharashtra	Bhagat Singh Koshyari	Uddhav Thackeray	Shivsena	Dipankar Datta
Manipur	Najma Heptulla	N. Biren Singh	BJP	Ramalingam Sudhakar
Meghalaya	Ganga Prasad	Conrad Sangma	NPP	Biswanath Somadder
Mizoram	Nirbhay Sharma	Zoramthanga	MNF	Sudhanshu Dhulia
Nagaland	Padmanabha Acharya	Neiphiu Rio	NDPP	Sudhanshu Dhulia
Odisha	Ganeshi Lal	Naveen Patnaik	BJD	S. Muralidhar
Punjab	V. P. Singh Badnore	Amarinder Singh	INC	Ravi Shankar Jha
Rajasthan	Kalraj Mishra	Ashok Gehlot	INC	Indrajit Mahanty
Sikkim	Shriniwas Patil	Prem Singh Tamang	SKM	Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari
Tamil Nadu	Banwarilal Purohit	M. K. Stalin	DMK	Sanjib Banerjee
Telangana	Tamilisai Soundararajan	K. Chandrashekar Rao	TRS	Hima Kohli
Tripura	Tathagata Roy	Biplab Kumar Deb	BJP	Akil Kureshi
Uttar Pradesh	Anandiben Patel	Yogi Adityanath	BJP	Govind Mathur
Uttarakhand	Baby Rani Maurya	Pushkar Singh Dhami	BJP	Raghvendra Singh Chauhan
West Bengal	Jagdeep Dhankhar	Mamata Banerjee	AITC	Rajesh Bindal (acting)

Events

January

• 1 January – India begins its two-year tenure (2021–22) as non-permanent member of UNSC.
• 2 January – India approves the two coronavirus vaccines from Bharat Biotech - "Covaxin" and Oxford/AstraZeneca - "Covishield" for the emergency use Experts raise question over efficacy of Covaxin and lack of transparency in trials.
• 3 January - former India national cricket team captain, Sourav Ganguly suffered a mild cardiac arrest. Social media criticism rose against Adani Wilmar Group's Fortune Edible Oil brand's healthy heart advertisement campaign in which Ganguly is a brand ambassador. The company pulled down the advertisements featuring Ganguly following the criticism and trolls.
• 4 January - Instant messaging app WhatsApp announced new amendment in their privacy policies and data sharing norms. This led to massive outrage against the app and exodus to alternative applications by users in India. The announcement that, WhatsApp will share data with their parent company Facebook led to a surge in user base of applications like Signal.
• 12 January - The Supreme Court issues a stay order thereby suspending the implementation of the three new farm laws in the wake of the ongoing farmer protests.
• 14 January - former NDTV journalist Nidhi Razdan announced that she fell prey to a serious Phishing attack in 2020 that came as a job offer to teaching position in Harvard University.
• 16 January- The Indian Government begins a mass Vaccination campaign for COVID-19. The vaccine for curing COVID-19 is prepared by Bharat Biotech
• 21 January
  • Five people are killed in a fire at the Serum Institute of India Building, Pune.
  • 2021 Shivamogga explosion
• 24 January - Believing in superstition of rebirth, a couple in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh murdered their two daughters.
• 26 January - The 72nd Republic Day Parade took place in New Delhi. There was no foreign head of state as chief guest this time due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister of United Kingdom Boris Johnson was planned as guest but he cancelled the schedule due to pandemic. The event took place with a reduced spectator size than usual and there were air show by Rafale jets. There was a massive Tractor Rally that took place in Delhi as part of farmers' protest against new farm bills. There were ensuing violence and serious law and order situation that followed the rally and it is alleged that an illegal flag hoisting that took place in Red Fort by Deep Sidhu. There were massive crack down by security agencies on Farmers, Journalists etc. followed with internet shutdowns in Delhi

February

2021 Uttarakhand flood

• 7 February - 2021 Uttarakhand flood
• 13 February - 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Tajikistan. Tremors felt in parts of North India, including Delhi.
• 14 February - a 22 year old Indian environmentalist from Bangalore, Disha Ravi was arrested by Delhi Police on sedition charges. The Police alleged that Disha edited and circulated a document (toolkit) tweeted by Greta Thunberg relating to 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.
• 23 February - Delhi court granted bail to Disha Ravi citing the toolkit she shared as 'innocuous'.

March

• 25 March - protests in Lakshadweep against Union territory administrator, Praful Khoda Patel by Save Lakshadweep campaign intensified following controversial decisions and laws passed by the administrator in the island. The decisions by the administrator to shut all dairy farms in the island, ban beef in the Muslims majority island, remove Non-vegetarian food items from Midday Meal provided in schools, implement Goonda act (Anti-social Activities Regulation Bill, 2021) in islands with 'zero criminal cases' to crack down dissent against Citizenship Amendment Act, shift logistics from islands to New Mangalore Port from Cochin Port and Beypore port, violation of COVID-19 protocols etc. raised sentiments against the administrator in the island.
• 26 March - 2021 Mumbai hospital fire
• 28 March - Lakshadweep administration issues order to deploy govt. officials in fishing boats. The decision invited huge outcry and criticism.

April

• 1 April - the Gujarat Assembly amends the Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, bringing in stringent provisions against forcible conversion through marriage or allurement, with the intention of targeting "love jihad". Gujarat become the 3rd state after Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh passed a similar bill in 2020,
• 3 April - 2021 Sukma-Bijapur attack
• 8 April - French online journal Mediapart has come out with an investigative journalism piece on Rafale deal controversy based on an investigation by the country's anti-corruption agency Agence Francaise Anticorruption (AFA). In the report Mediapart alleged that the jet manufacturer had paid nearly one million Euros to an Indian middleman.
• 23 April - Virar hospital fire
• 24 April - 25 Covid-19 patients die in Jaipur Golden Hospital, Delhi after the hospital runs out of oxygen supply.
• 27 April - Total number of deaths due to Covid-19 cross 2 lakh in the country. This, however, remains the official figure with gross amounts of under-reporting suspected.
• 28 April - 2021 Assam earthquake
• 30 April - A Special Bench of Justices Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, L. Nageswara Rao and Shripathi Ravindra Bhat warned State governments and police against clamping down on the spread of information or calls for help through social media from citizens affected by COVID-19 pandemic in India. The bench also questioned lack of equity in vaccine pricing in India.

May

• 1 May - Bharuch hospital fire
• 2 May - in a joint statement, opposition party leaders asked the Union government to focus all its attention on ensuring uninterrupted oxygen supply to hospitals across the country.
• 12 May -
  • Thousands of dead bodies are found floating or just washing up the shore of river Ganges. The corpses also include people that died due to Covid-19.
  • In a joint letter to Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, twelve opposition parties have urged government to start free universal mass vaccination program in India. The letter also urged to repeal the farm bills, scrap Central Vista Redevelopment Project and provide food grains to people.

Cyclone Tauktae

• 17 May - Cyclone Tauktae hits India resulting in at least 90 deaths.
• 21 May
  • It was reported that Air India was subjected to a cyberattack whereas the personal details of about 4.5 million customers around the world were compromised including passport, credit card details, birth dates, name and ticket information.
  • 13 Maoists killed in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra in an operation carried out by C-60 commandos.
• 26 May - Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas affects Orissa and West Bengal.
• 29 May - an audio clip of telephone conversation between social activist H.M. Santhosh and staff of A.V. Hospital Basavanagudi surfaces in media. In light of the audio clip Karnataka Congress alleged 'vaccine selling scam' against L. A. Ravi Subramanya, Member of the Legislative Assembly from Basavanagudi (Vidhana Sabha constituency) who is uncle of Tejasvi Surya.

June

• 1 June - Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was admitted to AIIMS, Delhi due to post-Covid complications.
• 7 June - June 2021 Pune fire
• 11 June - Media reports that Government of India may not allow 4 Kerala women who have joined Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province to return to India.
• 13 June - Aam Aadmi Party Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Singh and Pawan Pandey from Samajwadi Party alleged that there were financial irregularities that occurred in the purchase of land for the Ram Mandir, Ayodhya by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The politicians alleged that on March 18, 2021 the trust purchased two different plots on same day at two different rates; one transaction appeared manipulated and intended to divert funds.
• 14 June - Following a tweet by Journalist Sucheta Dalal made on June 12 and decision by National Securities Depository Limited to freeze three Foreign portfolio investment funds based in Port Louis, Mauritius shares of Adani Group companies fell by 5 - 25%.
• 17 June -
  • Student activists from Pinjra Tod Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, along with Asif Iqbal Tanha from Jamia Millia Islamia were released from Tihar Jail on Thursday, hours after a trial court ordered their immediate release. They were in custody since May 2020, in relation to a case related to the violence in 2020 Delhi riots following the Citizenship Amendment Act protests. The trial court order came because the activists who were granted bail by Delhi High Court on June 15 were not released even after 36 hours.
  • Press Trust of India reports on the basis of data compiled from Swiss National Bank that, funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks rose to a 13 year high of 2.55 billion Swiss franc (over Rs 20,700 crore INR) in 2020. Interestingly amidst this spike, customer account deposits witnessed a dip while money deposited through bonds, securities and other financial instruments rose sharply.
• 22 June
  • A meeting of opposition leaders under the banner of Rashtra Manch (National Forum) met in the residence of Sharad Pawar in Delhi. The group put forward an alternate vision of anti - BJP third front in India for 2021 elections in India. There were leaders from All India Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Nationalist Congress Party who were present in the event. There were no leaders from Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or Communist Party of India (Marxist). The veteran BJP leader and Trinamool leader Yashwant Sinha who was present in the event said that Manch will remain as a non political action group for the moment. The meeting of leaders took place after meetings between Prashant Kishor and Sharad Pawar earlier this month.
  • Kerala High Court issued an interim stay on two controversial orders of Lakshadweep administration on Animal husbandry (closure of dairy farms) and Midday Meal Scheme (exclusion of Non-vegetarian items from menu).
• 23 June - Enforcement Directorate transferred assets worth ₹8,441.50 crore to public sector banks. The banks suffered losses to the tune of ₹22,585.83 crore due to frauds committed by Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Thus the total assets transferred to the bank worth Rs 9,041.5 crore, representing 40% of the total loss to the banks. The total attachments and assets seized by Enforcement Directorate amounts to Rs 18,170.02 crore which included assets of Rs 969 crore located in foreign countries. The quantum of the attached and seized assets represents 80.45% of the total bank loss of Rs. 22,585.83 crore.
• 24 June - Narendra Modi and Amit Shah meets political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir all main leaders from People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration attended the meeting. PM Modi gives signals regarding elections and restoration of statehood.
• 25 June
  • M. C. Josephine, Kerala Women's Commission chairperson, resigned following public backlash on her remarks to a woman complaining of domestic violence on June 23 in a live TV show telecasted on Manorama News.
  • Kerala High Court issued Anticipatory bail to Lakshadweep based film maker, Aisha Sultana, against whom sedition charges were imposed on 10 June following a remark made by her against Union territory administrator Praful Khoda Patel, by callling him 'Bio weapon' in a news debate that happened in aMalayalam news channel, MediaOne TV.
• 28 June - Qatar's Special Envoy of the State of Qatar for Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution, Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani made a statement in a web conference that Indian officials have entered into talks with Talibans political leadership based in Doha.

July

• 1 July - Nine European countries which includes Switzerland, Estonia and 7 European Union member states such as Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland & Spain have given recognition to the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India as EU started 'Green Pass' facility. In the meantime EU member Germany however has a travel ban in place for Indians as India has been recognised as a “virus variant country”.

Deaths

January

• 2
  • Buta Singh, 86, Indian politician, Minister of Home Affairs (1986–1989), Governor of Bihar (2004–2006) and Chairman of NCSC (2007–2010), cerebral haemorrhage.
  • Neelamperoor Madhusoodanan Nair, 84, Indian poet.
  • K. Balu, Indian film producer (Chinna Thambi, Uthama Raasa, Jallikattu Kaalai), complications from COVID-19.
• 3
  • Shani Mahadevappa, 90, Indian actor (Shankar Guru, Kaviratna Kalidasa, Guru Brahma), coronary artery disease.
  • Anil Panachooran, 55, Indian lyricist (Arabikkatha, Drona 2010, Marykkundoru Kunjaadu) and poet, COVID-19.
  • Shaji Pandavath, 63, Indian screenwriter and film director, complications from heart surgery and a fall.
• 5
  • A. Madhavan, 86, Indian writer.
  • Vennelakanti, 63, Indian lyricist (Murali Krishnudu, Gharana Bullodu, Pellaina Kothalo), cardiac arrest.
• 22
  • Narendra Chanchal, 80, Indian bhajan and hymn singer, age related illness

February

• 9 Rajiv Kapoor, 58, Bollywood actor
• 22 Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar, 58, Indian politician MP
• 24 Sardool Sikander, 60, Punjabi singer

March

• 22 Theepetti Ganesan, Tamil actor

April

• 4 Shashikala, 88, Indian actress
• 17 Vivek, 59, actor and comedian in Tamil cinema.
• 30 Rohit Sardana, 41, Indian journalist and media personality
• 30 K. V. Anand, 54, director and Cinematographer in Tamil cinema.

May

Sunderlal Bahuguna

• 21 Sunderlal Bahuguna, 94, Indian environmental activist

June

• 16 Swatilekha Sengupta, 71, Bengali actress

Milkha Singh

• 18 Milkha Singh, 91, Indian athlete, pneumonia caused by COVID-19
• 22 Poovachal Khader, 72, Malayalam lyricist.

See also

Country overviews

• India
• History of India
• History of modern India
• Outline of India
• Government of India
• Politics of India
• Timeline of Indian history
• Years in India

Related timelines for current period

• 2021
• 2021 in politics and government
• 2020s