Dr. Zakir Husain was the third President of India and the first Muslim to occupy the post. However, they could only occupy the position for a period of two years from 13th May 1967 until his death on 3rd May, 1969.
Dr. Zakir Husain was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and thus, became a member of the Indian Parliament in 1956.
However, he held this position only for a year, after which he became the Governor of Bihar, a post he occupied for five years from 1957 – 1962. Dr. Husain was honoured with the Bharat Ratna award in 1963.
Dr. Zakir Husain died on 3rd May 1969, the first Indian President to die in office. He was buried on the campus of the Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi. Dr. Zakir Husain was one of the biggest exponents of education in India, and it was under his leadership that the National Muslim University was founded.
During Dr. Zakir Husain’s last days, the issue of nationalization of banks was being hotly debated. The bill, at last, received presidential consent from Mohammad Hidayatullah, who served as the Acting President on 9th August 1969.
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