This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 08, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
The Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, said she was not in favour of a presidential form of government. In Jaipur cantonment, she said there were other pressing problems at the moment which deserved more attention. But she was not against the debate continuing on the merits and demerits of the presidential form of government. She ruled out the possibility of a referendum being held on the issue.
Akali Demands
The Akali Dal demanded that the government implement in full the agreement arrived at between the Sikh head priests and the government on September 29 and said it would be “compelled to take strong steps” if this was not done. The meeting alleged that the government had backed out on its agreement in not handing over the Golden Temple complex to SGPC.
Food Poisoning
Nearly 100 persons were taken ill in Faridabad after they consumed sweets distributed at a Ramlila function. On the first night, about 50 had been admitted to the Faridabad district hospital and more were coming in. However, the district administration has taken no note of the incident.
Tihar Suicide
The case of Chander Pal, the convict who hanged himself in Tihar jail last week, was the third case of suicide in the jail this year. All these suicides have taken place under suspicious conditions. It is alleged that the jail authorities are trying to hide facts. One of these suicides occurred after the victim had protested in vain for proper medical attention. The circumstances in all cases point to the state of negligence inside the jail. Chander Pal was found hanging in barrack No. 2, which has come to be known as the Akali barrack.
