1979 in India

← 1978 1977 1976 1979 in India → 1980 1981 1982
Millennia:	1st 2nd 3rd
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	List of years in India Timeline of Indian history

Events in the year 1979 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

• President of India – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
• Prime Minister of India – Morarji Desai until 28 July, Charan Singh

Events

• 1 January - President of India makes official the decision to set up the Mandal Commission
• 31 January - The police under direction of Jyoti Basu, Chief Minister of Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government of West Bengal, surrounds and opens fire on unarmed refugee settlement of Morichjhapi island in Sunderbans, West Bengal. Hundreds killed but government officially accepts 36 deaths.
• 1 June - Vizianagaram district is formed in Andhra Pradesh.
• 27 June - CISF conflict at Bokaro
• 11 August - Morvi dam burst, the worst flood disaster in independent India, happens in Gujarat, killing 1500-15000 people
• Dr. Leo Rebello is appointed Special Executive Magistrate (same as Justice of Peace) for Greater Bombay. Holds the honorary office for 18 years helping thousands of people.

Births

January to June

• 7 January - Bipasha Basu, actress and model.
• 28 February- Srikanth
• 24 March - Emraan Hashmi, actor.
• 12 June - Tottempudi Gopichand, actor.

July to December

• 31 August - Yuvan Shankar Raja, film composer and singer.
• 1 September - Aamir Ali, actor
• 11 September - Tulip Joshi, model and actress.
• 14 September - Kamya Panjabi, actress.
• 7 October - Narain, actor.
• 4 November - Lazarus Barla, field hockey player.
• 14 December - Samit Basu, novelist.

Full date unknown

• Divya Palat, actress.

Deaths

• 3 December - Dhyan Chand, field hockey player (b. 1905).

Full date unknown

• Banaphool, author, playwright and poet (b. 1899).
• Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, novelist, literary historian, essayist, critic and scholar (b. 1907).

See also

• Bollywood films of 1979