President of India, Droupadi Murmu, paid floral tributes to former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on the occasion of his 121st birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed served as the fifth President of India from August 24, 1974, until his untimely demise on February 11, 1977. He was the second President of India to die in office, after Dr. Zakir Husain.
Born in 1905, Ahmed pursued his education in Delhi and later at the University of Cambridge. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple, London. Upon returning to India, he practiced law in Lahore and subsequently in Guwahati.
A committed freedom fighter, Ahmed actively participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942 against British colonial rule. He later held several key positions in independent India and became a trusted associate of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
During his presidency, he signed the proclamation of Emergency in 1975 following a meeting with Prime Minister Gandhi, one of the most significant and controversial moments in India’s constitutional history.
President Murmu’s tribute today served as a reminder of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s contributions to India’s legal, political, and freedom movements.
(With inputs from agencies)
