2015 in India

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The following lists events that happened during 2015 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents[edit]
Photo Post Name

President Pranab Mukherjee

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Elections[edit]
Main article: 2015 elections in India

State elections[edit]

2015 state elections in India

Preceding Preceding Chief New elected New Chief
State Competitors Reports
Party Minister party Minister
Delhi Aam Arvind Kejriwal Aam Arvind Kiran Bedi report
Aadmi Party (resigned February Aadmi Party Kejriwal Ajay Maken
2014)
 Najeeb Jung
(Lieutenant Governor)

Janta Dal
Bihar Nitish Kumar report
United

Events[edit]
January[edit]

1 January NITI Aayog was established to replace Planning

Commission of India. [1]

2 3 January Gyan Sangam, a two-day retreat took place at Pune, it was attended by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Reserve Bank of India
Governor Raghuram Rajan and chiefs of various financial institutions.[2]

8 9 January Annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference took place in Gandhinagar,

Gujarat.[3][4]

13 January 32 died in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh after drinking hooch.[5]

26 January Republic Day celebrations were held, US President Barack

Obama was the chief guest.[6]

27 January M. N. Rai, a colonel in the Rashtriya Rifles and Sanjeev Kumar Singh, a
head constable in the Special Operations Group, died in a gun battle in Tral in Pulwama
district. Two militants were also killed. M. N. Rai had been awarded the Yudh Seva
medal on 26 January.[7]

31 January The Agni-V was test launched from a canister in Wheeler

Island, suitable for road or rail mobile launch vehicles.[8]

February[edit]

8 February Polling for the New Delhi state elections held.[9]

10 February Delhi Legislative Assembly election's results announced with

Aam Aadmi Party securing 67 of 70 seats.[10]

13 February A grenade attack by the United Liberation Front of Assam on a family in

the town of Sepon in India's Assam state killed two people.[11]
 14 February A house under construction collapsed in the Indian city of Mughalsarai in
the state of Uttar Pradesh killing twelve people and injuring two.[12]

15 February The number of reported deaths of swine flu in India reached 585, with
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra being the worst-affected with
reported death tolls at 165, 144, 76 and 58 respectively.[13]

16 February Govind Pansare, a CPI politician and his wife were shot at in Kolhapur,
Maharashtra. Govind Pansare later died on 20 February.[14][15]

18 February The Cabinet Committee on Security approves the construction of seven

stealth frigates and six nuclear submarines for the Indian Navy.[16]

18 22 February The 10th edition of Aero India took place at Yelahanka Air Force
Station near Bangalore.[17]

23 February Budget session of the Parliament began with the President's address to the
joint session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.[18]

28 February Union Budget presented to the Parliament by Finance Minister Arun

Jaitley.[19]

March[edit]

3 March National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme launched

by the Election Commission of India.[20]

17 March Supreme Court of India rejected the classification of Jat people as Other
Backward Classes.[21][22]

18 March Beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully test
fired from a Su-30MKI in test range in Chandipur, Orissa.[23]

23 March Amaravathi was announced to be name of the new capital of

Andhra Pradesh, to be built near Thullur.[24]

24 March Supreme Court of India declared Section 66A of the Information

Technology Act, 2000 unconstitutional.[25]

26 March National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) unveiled Polar Remotely

Operated Vehicle (PROVe), which would be used to study the monsoon.[26]

27 March Bharat Ratna was awarded to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee[27]
 28 March ISRO placed Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) 1-D satellite in orbit by a PSLV C-27 launch vehicle.[28]

29 March India began to evacuate its citizens from Yemen.[29]

30 March Bharat Ratna awarded to freedom fighter Madan Mohan

Malaviya posthumously.[30]

April[edit]

1 April Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India
(FAME India) scheme was launched by the government to boost electric and hybrid
vehicle sales.[31]

5 April Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched the "Give
it Up" campaign urging rich people to give up LPG subsidy.[32]

7 April Police killed 20 Red sanders, Pterocarpus santalinus smugglers in Chittoor

district.[33]

8 April

o The Padma awards were given at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Among the 50
recipients were actor Amitabh Bachchan, actor Dilip Kumar, nuclear scientist
M.R. Srinivasan, mathematician Manjul Bhargava, computer scientist Vijay P.
Bhatkar, Hindu spiritual guru Swami Satyamitranand and Aga Khan IV.[34][35]

o The Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA Bank) was
launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The financial institution aims to
provide financing to small entrepreneurs.[36]

10 April India completed evacuating citizens from Yemen, and announced the closure
of embassy.[37] In all, about 4,640 Indians and 960 nationals from 41 other countries were
evacuated.[38]

11 April Maoists killed 7 of personnel of Chhattisgarhs Special Task Force in south

Bastar.[39]

25 April April 2015 Nepal earthquake, a 7.9 Richter scale earthquake occurred in
Nepal. Parts of north India were affected.[40]

May[edit]
 1 May One of India's most wanted Maoist leaders Roopesh and his wife were arrested
in Coimbatore.[41]

3 May Militants ambushed and killed 8 personnel of Assam Rifles in Mon district of
Nagaland.[42]

5 May The Akash missile was inducted into the Indian Army.[43]

6 May India and Iran signed an agreement which would allow India to develop the Port
of Chabahar. The deal was signed during Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's Iran visit.[44]

7 May The Parliament passed the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013. It would
allow India to solve its territorial disputes with Bangladesh.[45]

9 May Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 3 large-scale social security schemes,
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and
Atal Pension Yojana, at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata.[46]

9 May Maoists released about 250 hostages they had taken a day before in Sukma
district. One hostage was killed.[47]

11 May

o India nominated K. V. Kamath as the head of the New Development Bank.[48]

o All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Jayalalithaa was acquitted in
a disproportionate assets case by the Karnataka High Court.[49]

24 May The reported death toll from 2015 India heat wave reached 335 people.[50]

June[edit]

4 June 20 army personnel were killed and 11 were injured in a militant attack in
Manipur. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by National Socialist Council of
Nagaland-Khaplang.[51][52]

8 June A Shahjahanpur-based journalist Jagendra Singh died from burn injuries in a

hospital in Lucknow. He had allegedly been set on fire by the local police on 1 June for
making Facebook posts against the Uttar Pradesh Minister for Dairy Development Ram
Murti Verma.[53][54]

9 June Indian army attacked two militant groups across the Myanmar border in
retaliation for the 4 June attack.[55]
 15 June The Supreme Court of India directed the Central Board of Secondary
Education to conduct the All India Pre Medical Test again due to allegations of cheating.
[56]

17 June 94 people died in Malad area of Mumbai after drinking hooch.[57]

19 June Sandeep Kothari, a journalist, was kidnapped from Katangi area of Balaghat
district in Madhya Pradesh and killed for refusing to withdraw an illegal mining case
from the court. His body was recovered in Wardha district of Maharashtra on 20 June.[58][59]

21 June The first International Yoga Day was held.[60]

29 June India signed the legal framework of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
and pledged US$8.3 billion towards it.[61]

July[edit]

1 July The Digital India programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[62]

9 July The Ministry of Home Affairs declared Nagaland a "disturbed" region under
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for one year, starting from 30 June 2015.[63]

10 July

o Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) decided to induct India as a full

member.[64]

o ISRO launched 5 UK satellites with a total payload of 1,440 kg using the PSLV-
C28 launch vehicle.[65]

15 July 29 people died in a stampede at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh during the

Godavari Maha Pushkaram.[66][67]

21 July Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan was launched by Minister of Consumer Affairs,

Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan. The campaign aims to promote food
safety in India.[68]

23 July Two Anglo-Indian members were nominated by President Pranab Mukherjee to

the Lok Sabha. The two nominated members were George Baker, a BJP leader and actor
from West Bengal, and Richard Hay, an economics professor from Kerala.[69][70]

27 July
 o Terrorists attacked a police station in Gurdaspur in Punjab. Nine were killed
which included three terrorists.[71][72]

o Ram Sevak Sharma was appointed the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India.[73]

August[edit]

1 August Landslide killed at least 20 people in a village in Chandel district, Manipur.[74]

[75]

6 August Indian forces captured a terrorist, Mohammed Naved, allegedly from

Faisalabad, Pakistan, following an attack on a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.[76]
[77]

8 August Godman Sarathi Baba was arrested following a TV channel expos and
subsequent protests in Odisha.[78]

10 August

o At least 10 people died and over 50 were injured in a stampede at a Shiva temple
in Deoghar district of Jharkhand.[79]

o Rajasthan High Court declared the Jain ritual called Santhara to be illegal.[80]

26 August Demonstrations demanding reservations for the Patel community began in

Gujarat. The following clashes killed at least 8. The army was deployed in select areas.[81]

27 August

o ISRO successfully launched GSAT-6 using the GSLV D-6 launch vehicle.[82]

o Indian forces captured a terrorist in Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir,

following a gunfight. The terrorist, Sajjad alias Abu Ubadullah, allegedly hailed
from Muzaffargarh district of Balochistan, Pakistan.[83]

September[edit]

12 September A gas cylinder explosion killed at least 80 in Petlawad, Madhya Pradesh.

[84]

14 September Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) released a report

ranking the states on ease of doing business and regulatory reforms.[85]
 16 September The central government banned the National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (Khaplang) for five years.[86]

25 September Anti-India protests erupted in Nepal over the blockade of trade routes.
Madhesi and Tharu ethnic groups had blocked the routes, by doing a dharna on the no
man's land, after Nepal's new constitution was deemed unfavorable to the ethnic groups
living in the Terai plains. Nepali politicians said that such a blockade is not possible
without the approval of the Indian government.[87][88][89][90]

28 September India's first space observatory Astrosat launched.[91]

October[edit]

2 October Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced India's Intended

Nationally Determined Contributions for the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change. It set a target of reducing its emission intensity by 33-35%, by 2030
from 2005 levels.[92]

9 October

o Madhya Pradesh declared 19,951 villages in 114 tehsils to be drought affected.[93]

o Bombay High Court judged in favour of Vodafone in the alleged tax avoidance
case.[94]

12 22 October India and China conducted joint anti-terror drills in Kunming, China.
[95]

15 19 October India, US and Japan conducted the 19th Exercise Malabar in the Bay
of Bengal.[96]

16 October

o The Supreme Court of India declared National Judicial Appointments

Commission (NJAC) to be unconstitutional.[97]

o Maharashtra declared that 14,708 of its 40,053 villages were facing drought-like
conditions.[98][99]

o Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandated that the telecom

operator will have to pay 1 for each dropped call to the subscriber, from 1
January 2016 onward.[100]
 19 October The retail price of toor dal reached 200 (US$3.00) per kg. Other pulses
also reached high prices. Several state governments were selling imported pulses at
subsidised prices in order to curb the inflated prices.[101]

20 October The Government of Maharashtra invoked the Maharashtra Prevention of

Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Persons
Act, 1981, and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 against hoarders of
pulses and edible oil.[102]

21 October Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Indian Police Foundation
(IPF) and the Indian Police Institute (IPI) in New Delhi.[103]

22 October Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Amaravati, the
new capital of Andhra Pradesh.[104]

24 October

o Ministry of Defence approved the induction of women as combat pilots in the

Indian Air Force.[105]

o The Government of Odisha began raiding pulses godowns to check hoarders.[106]

26 October The third IndiaAfrica Forum Summit began in New Delhi.[107]

27 October Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the e-Sahayog of the Income Tax
Department. The facility will allow the tax office to remotely notify the payer in case of
mismatch in filings.[108][109]

31 October The birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was observed as

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).[110]

November[edit]

26 November - Samvidhan Divas (Constitution Day) to be observed.[111]

Deaths[edit]
January[edit]

2 January

o Mrunalini Devi Puar, 83, academician and educationist (born 1931)[112]

o Vasant Gowarikar, 81, scientist and ISRO chairman (born 1933).[113]

 4 January

o Chitresh Das, 70, Kathak dance instructor and choreographer (born 1944).[114]

o Ahuti Prasad, 57, Telugu actor (born 1958).[115]

o Upendra Trivedi, 78, Gujarati actor and director (born 1936).[116]

5 January Ganesh Patro, 69, Telugu playwright and screenwriter (born 1945).[117]

7 January

o Subhas Anandan, 67, Indian-origin Singaporean criminal lawyer, notable for

representing Quan Yi Fong and others (born 1947).[118]

o B. S. Abdur Rahman, 87, business executive, educationist and philanthropist;

founder of B. S. Abdur Rahman University (born 1927).[119]

9 January Jasodhara Bagchi, 77, womens rights activist (born 1937).[120]

13 January Hara Patnaik, 56, Oriya actor and film director (born 1958).[121]

15 January Rameshwar Thakur, 88, politician, Governor of Odisha (20042006),

Andhra Pradesh (20062007) and Karnataka (20072009); (born 1927).[122]

16 January Ghelubhai Nayak, 91, social activist and freedom fighter (born 1924).[123]

17 January Gobinda Haldar, 84, Bengali lyricist and composer (born 1930).[124]

18 January Harish Chandra Srivastava, 90, politician (born 1925).[125]

19 January Rajni Kothari, 86, political scientist (born 1928)[126]

23 January M. S. Narayana, 63, Telugu actor (born 1951)[127]

24 January V. S. Raghavan, 89, Tamil actor (born 1925)[128]

25 January Sarojini Mahishi, 88, translator and politician.[129]

26 January R. K. Laxman, 94, cartoonist (born 1921)[130]

27 January Jos Pereira, 84, Indian-origin American Sanskrit scholar, theologian and
artist from Goa (born 1931).[131]
 28 January

o Mala Aravindan, 76, Malayalam theatre and film actor (born 1939)[132]

o Jaswant Singh Rajput, 88, field hockey player, part of Olympic gold medal
winning team in 1948 and 1952 (born 1926).[133]

29 January Subhash Ghisingh, 78, founder of the Gorkha National Liberation Front in
the Gorkhaland movement (born 1936)[134]

February[edit]

2 February Anand Shukla, 74, cricketer (born 1941).[135]

7 February Vasu Malali, 48, Kannada author and film director (born 1967).[136]

13 February Kesava Reddy, 68, Telugu novelist (born 1946).[137]

16 February

o R. R. Patil, 57, politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (20042008),

(born 1957)[138][139]

o Rajinder Puri, 80, cartoonist and political activist (born 1934).[140]

18 February D. Ramanaidu, 78, Telugu film producer and politician (born 1936)[141]

19 February Nirad Mohapatra, 67, Oriya film director known for his film Maya Miriga,
(born 1947)[142]

20 February Govind Pansare, 81, political activist and author (born 1933)[15]

23 February R. C. Sakthi, 76, Tamil film director and actor (born 1940).[143]

24 February Mayandi Bharathi, 98, Indian independence activist (born 1917).[144]

25 February A. Vincent, 86, cinematographer (Prem Nagar) and director (Bhargavi

Nilayam) (born 1928).[145]

26 February

o Meera Kosambi, 75, sociologist (born 1936).[146]

 o Hukam Singh, 89, politician, Chief Minister of Haryana (19901991), (born
1926).[147]

26 March Paty Ripple Kyndiah, 86, politician from Meghalaya.[148]

March[edit]

1 March Atul Tandon, 67, academic, former Director of MICA (born 1948).[149]

2 March Lavkumar Khachar, 84, ornithologist (born 1931).[150]

3 March Laxminarayana Mudiraj, 86, politician, Mayor of Hyderabad (19691970).[151]

4 March Ninan Koshy, 81, foreign affairs expert, political thinker and theologian (born
1934).[152]

6 March

o Ram Sundar Das, 94, politician, Chief Minister of Bihar (19791980), (born
1921).[153]

o Kishore Te, 36, film editor, his work Aadukalam won the 2010 National Film
Award for Best Editing, (born 1973).[154]

o Pheiroijam Parijat Singh, 72, politician (born 1943).[155]

7 March G. Karthikeyan, 66, politician, speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly

(born 1949).[156]

8 March Vinod Mehta, 73, editor of The Pioneer and Outlook magazine, (born 1941).[157]

10 March Meena Shah, 78, badminton player, Arjuna Award recipient (born 1936).[158]

12 March Siddalingaiah, 79, Kannada film director, known for his works Bangaarada
Manushya and Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu, (born 1936).[159]

13 March Suzette Jordan, 40, anti-rape campaigner (born 1974).[160]

15 March

o Narayan Desai, 90, Gandhian, anti-nuclear activist and Gujarati writer, recipient
of Sahitya Akademi Award (born 1924).[161]

o Krishna Kalle, 74, Marathi playback singer.[162]

 o Kavitha Prasad Rallabandi, 53, Telugu poet and civil servant.[163]

16 March D. K. Ravi, 35, IAS officer.[164]

17 March Ameerjan, 70, film director.[165]

18 March Ramesh Chandra Bhanja, 76, writer of Oriya children's literature.[166]

20 March Shahir Krishnarao Sable, 92, Marathi folk singer-songwriter.[167]

21 March Yusufali Kechery, 81, Malayalam poet and film producer.[168]

28 March T. Sailo, 93, former Chief Minister of Mizoram (born 1922)[169]

April[edit]

1 April Kailash Vajpeyi, 79, Hindi poet, Sahitya Akademi Award recipient (born 1923).
[170]

4 April Malli Mastan Babu, 40, mountaineer (born 1974).[171]

7 April Kalmanje Jagannatha Shetty, 78, former Supreme Court judge (born 1927).[172]

8 April

o Abraham Eraly, 80, historian and magazine editor (born 1934).[173]

o Nagore E. M. Hanifa, 89, politician and Tamil playback singer.[174]

o Jayakanthan, 80, Tamil novelist, recipient of Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi

Award (born 1934).[175]

9 April

o Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, 94, former Air Chief Marshal and Chief of Air Staff
(19761978), (born 1920).[176]

o Narra Raghava Reddy, 92, politician (born 1924).[177]

10 April Ghulam Rasool Kar, 94, politician (born 1921).[178]

11 April Hanut Singh Rathore, 82, Lieutenant general in Indian Army, played a key role
in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, recipient of Maha Vir Chakra (born 1933).[179]
 14 April Vilas Sarang, 73, author (born 1942).[180]

15 April Bidyut Chakraborty, 56, Assamese film director.[181]

21 April Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, 89, former Governor of Assam and former Chief
Minister of Odisha (born 1927)[182]

23 April E. M. Subramaniam, 67, Carnatic percussionist, noted Ghatam player (born

1948).[183]

24 April Ismail Hussain, 65, politician, MP for Barpeta (20092014) (born 1950).[184]

26 April Masudur Rahman Baidya, 46, double-amputee swimmer who crossed the
English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar (born 1968).[185]

29 April Gopulu, 90, cartoonist for Ananda Vikatan magazine.[186]

30 April Milap Chand Jain, 86, former Delhi High Court judge and Lokayukta of
Rajasthan.[187][188]

May[edit]

1 May Amitabha Chowdhury, 87, journalist.[189]

3 May Baleshwar Ram, 87, former Lok Sabha member from Rosera.[190]

7 May Amalendu Guha, 92, historian (born 1924)[191][192]

10 May Ninad Bedekar, 65, historian and author.[193]

12 May Suchitra Bhattacharya, 65, Bengali language author, recipient of Katha Award.
[194]

16 May Shikha Joshi, 40, actress and model.[195]

18 May Aruna Shanbaug, 67, she was in a vegetative state since 1973 after a brutal
rape, she was one of the focuses of the euthanasia debate in India.[196]

20 May Sudha Shivpuri, 77, TV actress (born 1937)[197]

June[edit]

2 June Bijoya Ray, 98, Bengali language actress.[198]

 6 June - Aarthi Agarwal, 31, actress in Telugu films[199]

8 June Dasaradhi Rangacharya, 86, Telugu author and Sahitya Akademi recipient.[200]

9 June Hemant Kanitkar, 72, cricketer.[201]

12 June Nek Chand Saini, 90, artist and creator of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh.[202]

13 June Sheila Kaul, 101, politician, Governor of Himachal Pradesh (19951996).[203]

16 June Charles Correa, 84, architect and urban planner, recipient of Padma Shri award.
[204]

19 June

o Jagjit Singh Anand, 93, political activist and newspaper editor for Nawan
Zamana.[205]

o Tukoji Rao Pawar, 51, royalty and politician, Maharaja of Dewas Senior.[206]

23 June

o Sanjeet Bedi, actor known for his role in Sanjivani.[207]

o Praful Bidwai, 66, journalist and columnist.[208]

o Nirmala Joshi, 81, Roman Catholic nun, Superior General of the Missionaries of
Charity (19972009).[209]

o Alex Mathew, 57, Malayalam actor, known for his role in Thoovanathumbikal[210]
[211]

o Ajit Singh, 74, economist of Indian origin.[212]

24 June Dileep Singh Bhuria, 71, politician and Lok Sabha member from Ratlam-
Jhabua.[213]

25 June Vithal Rao, 85, ghazal singer.[214]

26 June Shiv Singh, 76, sculptor.[215]

30 June K. P. P. Nambiar, 86, industrialist.[216]

July[edit]
 3 July

o Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal, 73, Chief Justice of India (20052007).[217]

o Charanjit Singh, 75, musician known for his acid house compositions.[218]

6 July

o Ramanathan Gnanadesikan, 82, statistician.[219]

o Bhattam Srirama Murthy, 89, politician.[220]

9 July

o Bashar Nawaz, 79, Urdu poet and songwriter.[221]

o Sriballav Panigrahi, 74, politician, member of the Lok Sabha (19841989, 1991
1998) from Deogarh.[222]

11 July P. Chendur Pandian, 65, politician, Tamil Nadu MLA for Kadayanallur (since
2011).[223]

14 July M. S. Viswanathan, 81, music composer.[224]

14 July Sheila Ramani, 80s, actress.[225]

16 July

o V. Ramakrishna, 68, Telugu playback singer.[226]

o Moreshwar Save, 85, politician, MP for Aurangabad (19891996).[227]

18 July Sushil Bhattacharya, 90, football player, men's (East Bengal) and women's
(national team) coach.[228]

21 July T. Kanakam, 88, actress.[229]

25 July

o Kalpataru Das, 67, politician, member of the Rajya Sabha (since 2014), Odisha
MLA for Dharmasala (19952014)[230]

o R. S. Gavai, 86, politician, Governor of Bihar (20062008), Kerala (20082011),

member of the Rajya Sabha (20002006), MP for Amravati (1998).[231]
 26 July Bijoy Krishna Handique, 80, politician, MP for Jorhat (19912014), Rajya
Sabha (19801986), Assam MLA for Jorhat (19711980).[232]

27 July Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, 83, President (20022007) and aerospace scientist.[233]

28 July - Suniti Solomon, 76, physician and HIV researcher.[234]

30 July - Yakub Memon, 53, chartered accountant, convicted of financing the 1993
Bombay bombings, execution by hanging.[235]

31 July - Sasi Perumal, 59, Gandhian and anti-alcohol activist.[236]

August[edit]

9 August - Kayyar Kinhanna Rai, 101, freedom fighter and author.[237]

10 August - Sunil Das, 76, postmodern artist.[238]

13 August - Om Prakash Munjal, 87, industrialist, founder of Hero Cycles.[239]

14 August - Lavanam, 86, social reformer.[240]

18 August Suvra Mukherjee, 74, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee (born 1940)[241]

19 August -

o Sanat Mehta, 90, politician.[242]

o Chitranjan Swaroop, 70, politician from Muzaffarnagar.[243]

24 August - Venkatesh Nayak, 79, politician, member of the Legislative Assembly for
Karnataka (since 2013), train derailment.[244]

30 August - M. M. Kalburgi, 76, writer and academic.[245]

September[edit]

3 September - Binny Yanga, 57, social worker and activist.[246]

4 September - Wilfred de Souza, 88, politician, Chief Minister of Goa (19931994,

1998).[247]

5 September - Aadesh Shrivastava, 51, composer and singer.[248]

 7 September - Sowkoor Jayaprakash Shetty, 80, Karnataka politician.[249]

9 September -

o Mitrasen Yadav, 81, Uttar Pradesh politician.[250]

o Ramaswamy R. Iyer, 86, government adviser on water policy.[251]

11 September - Jaswant Singh Neki, 90, academic and poet.[252]

13 September - Kalamandalam Satyabhama, 77, Mohiniyattam dancer.[253]

17 September - Bal Pandit, 86, cricket player and commentator.[254]

20 September

o Jagmohan Dalmiya, 75, cricket administrator, businessman, President of the

Board of Control for Cricket in India, (b. 1940)[255]

o Radhika Thilak, 45, playback singer in Malayalam films.[256]

23 September - Dayananda Saraswati, 85, Hindu monk and teacher (Arsha Vidya
Gurukulam).[257]

24 September - Mohan Bhandari, actor[258]

27 September

o Syed Ahmed, 73, politician, Governor of Jharkhand (20112015) and Manipur

(2015).[259]

o Kallen Pokkudan, 78, environmental activist and writer.[260]

28 September - Ram Kapse, 81, politician, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands (20042006).[261]

October[edit]

3 October - Raghavan Narasimhan, 78, mathematician.[262]

4 October - Edida Nageswara Rao, 81, film producer, known for Sankarabharanam.[263]

7 October - Pushpa Bhuyan, 69, Sattriya dancer.[264]

 9 October -

o Ravindra Jain, 71, film score composer.[265]

o N. Ramani, 81, flautist.[266]

10 October - Manorama, 78, Tamil actress.[267]

14 October - Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani, 85, Chief of the Naval Staff (19841987).
[268]

18 October - Kallu Chidambaram, 70, Telugu comic actor.[269]

20 October -

o Syed Zahoor Qasim, 92, marine biologist, who led India's first Antarctica mission.
[270]

o K. S. L. Swamy, 77, Kannada actor and director.[271]

22 October - Labh Janjua, 57, singer-songwriter.[272]

23 October - Shamshad Hussain, 69, painter.[273]

24 October - Bhaskar Save, 93, organic farmer and activist.[274]

25 October - Pijush Ganguly, 50, Bengali actor, known for his role in Mahulbanir
Sereng.[275]

27 October -

o Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, 84, pharmacologist, recipient of Padma Shri award.[276]

o Gulam Noon, Baron Noon, 79, Indian-origin British food production

businessman, chancellor of University of East London.[277]

o Rajendra Singh Rana, 54, politician, Uttar Pradesh MLA for Deoband (2002
2007, 20122015).[278]

November[edit]

1 November - Brijmohan Lall Munjal, 92, transportation manufacturing executive, co-

founder of Hero Cycles and Hero MotoCorp.[279]
 2 November -

o Hashim Abdul Halim, 80, politician, West Bengal MLA for Amdanga (1977
2006) and Entally (20062011), heart attack.[280]

o Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao, 69, actor, brain infection.[281]

7 November - Bappaditya Bandopadhyay, 45, film director and poet, heart attack.[282]

8 November - Om Prakash Mehra, 96, military officer, Chief of Air Staff (19731976),
Governor of Maharashtra (19801982) and Rajasthan (19851987).[283]

14 November -

o Hemanga Baruah, 49, cricketer (Assam).[284]

o K. S. Gopalakrishnan, 86, film director, screenwriter and producer.[285]

15 November - Saeed Jaffrey, 86, India-born British actor.[286]

17 November -

o Pithukuli Murugadas, 95, devotional singer.[287]

o Ashok Singhal, 89, Hindu activist.[288]

19 November - R. K. Trivedi, 94, politician, Governor of Gujarat (19861990).[289]

24 November - A. S. Ponnammal, 82, politician, cancer.[290]

26 November - H. Khekiho Zhimomi, 69, politician, heart ailment.[291]

30 November - Sabri Khan, 88, sarangi player.[292]

Transport[edit]
Events[edit]

9 January Vistara, a Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint-venture airline made its first
flight.[293]

13 January Indian Railway introduced a train that can run both on diesel and CNG.[294]
 26 February Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu presented the Railway Budget in the
Parliament.[295]

14 March Work on the Ahmedabad Metro began.[296]

19 March Ratan Tata appointed head of the Kaya Kalp council of the Indian Railways.
The council's aim is to introduce innovations and reforms in the public firm.[297]

24 March Indian Railways launched a pre-paid RuPay debit card for booking tickets.[298]

12 April Low-cost airline Air Pegasus made first flight.[299]

22 April Indian Railways launched "utsonmobile" mobile app which would allow
people to buy unreserved tickets.[300]

22 June First commercial bus service from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka flagged off
from Karunamoyee International Bus Stand, Kolkata.[301]

29 June Chennai Metro commenced operations.[302]

18 August Cochin International Airport became fully-solar powered.[303] The 12 MW

solar power plant was inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.[304]

1 September Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off first train after gauge
conversion on Sikar Loharu route.

Accidents[edit]

Railways[edit]

13 February Bengaluru-Ernakulam Intercity Express derailed near Bengaluru, killing 9

persons and injuring about 100.[305]

20 March 36 dead and 150 injured after Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express missed its
stop at Bachhrawan station and collided with a heap of sand.[306]

3 May Mumbai-Ernakulam Duronto Express derailed near Balli in Goa. No injuries

were reported.[307]

8 May 23 wagons of a coal-carrying freight train derailed in Rohtas district in Bihar.

No injuries were reported.[308]

25 May Rourkela-Jammu Muri Express derailed near Sirathu, Uttar Pradesh, killing 2.
[309]
 4 August Harda twin train derailment: Kamayani Express and Janata Express derailed
at a bridge near Harda, Madhya Pradesh, due to floods in the Machak river.[310] The
accident killed at least 28 passengers.[311]

12 September

o Secunderabad-Mumbai Duronto Express derailed near Gulbarga killing at least 2.

[312]

o A KalkaShimla Railway narrow gauge train derailed killing two British tourists.
[313]

24 August 5 persons died after a train collided with the Bangalore-Nanded Express
train. A. A. Venkatesh Naik, a member of Karnataka legislative assembly, was among the
dead.[314]

4 September Chennai-Mangalore mail derailed near Virudhachalam in Tamil Nadu

injuring more than 40.[315]

Road[edit]

16 February A bus carrying at least 60 passengers plunged into a gorge in Dhar district,
Madhya Pradesh resulting in at least ten deaths and 33 people being injured.[316]

12 June 15 people died and 48 were injured when a bus overturned and collided with a
tree on the Chandigarh-Phagwara highway.[317]

13 June

o 5 people died and about a 100 were injured in Ludhiana, when a tanker truck
carrying ammonia leaked. The truck got stuck under a low-clearance bridge and
damaged its valve.[318]

o 21 people died when a van fell from the Dowleswaram Barrage into the Godavari
River. The vehicle was returning from Tirupati to Achutapuram.[319]

18 August 15 people were killed when a mini van collided with a bus in Cherlopalem,
Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.[320]

Waterways[edit]

26 August A fishing boat collided with a ferry at Fort Kochi, Kerala, killing 6 and
injuring 21.[321]

Sports[edit]
Main article: 2015 in Indian sports

31 January 35th National Games began in Kerala.[322]

Badminton[edit]

15 March - Srikanth Kidambi won the Swiss Open (badminton) men's singles title by
defeating Viktor Axelsen.[323]

28 March Saina Nehwal reached world's rank #1 in women's badminton, after Carolina
Marin lost to Ratchanok Intanon. Nehwal defeated Yui Hashimoto in the semi-final of
India Open.[324]

29 March

o Saina Nehwal won the India Open title by defeating Ratchanok Intanon.[325]

o Srikanth Kidambi won the India Open men's singles title by defeating Viktor
Axelsen.[326]

10 May Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea won the men's double title at the 2015
Madrid Open.[327]

28 June Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the women's double title at the 2015
Canada Open badminton tournament.[328]

20 September Ajay Jayaram won a silver at the Korea Open.[329]

11 October Ajay Jayaram successfully defended his Dutch Open title.[330]

Cricket[edit]

7 April The opening ceremony of the 2015 Indian Premier League took place in
Kolkata.[331]

25 May Mumbai Indians won the 2015 Indian Premier League by defeating Chennai
Super Kings in the final at Eden Gardens.[332]

14 July A panel appointed by the Supreme Court found Chennai Super Kings and
Rajasthan Royals guilty of spot-fixing and suspended them from the Indian Premier
League for two years.[333]

15 October Zaheer Khan announced retirement from international cricket.[334]

 20 October Virender Sehwag announced retirement from international cricket.[335]

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015[edit]

Main article: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

14 February India defeated Pakistan by 76 runs at the Adelaide Oval in a Pool B match.
[336]

22 February India defeated South Africa by 130 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in a Pool B match.[337]

28 February India defeated United Arab Emirates by 9 wickets at the WACA Ground in
a Pool B match.[338]

6 March India defeated West Indies by 4 wickets at the WACA Ground in a Pool B
match to reach quarterfinals.[339][340]

14 March India defeated Zimbabwe by 6 wickets at the WACA Ground in a Pool B

match.[341]

19 March India defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in
the quarterfinal to reach the semifinal.[342]

26 March India was defeated by Australia by 95 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground in
the semifinal.[343]

Tennis[edit]

16 January Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the women's doubles title at
the Sydney International.[344]

1 February Martina Hingis and Leander Paes won the mixed doubles title at the
Australian Open.[345]

22 March - Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the 2015 BNP Paribas Open women's
doubles title.[346]

5 April Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women's doubles title at the 2015
Miami Open.[347]

13 April

o Sania Mirza reached rank one in women's double.[348]

 o Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the 2015 Family Circle Cup women's
doubles title.[348]

15 April Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into the Laureus Sports Academy.[349]

11 July Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women's double title at the 2015
Wimbledon Championships.[350]

12 July

o Sumit Nagal and L Hong Nam won the boy's double title at the 2015
Wimbledon Championships.[351]

o Leander Paes and Martina Hingis won the mixed doubles title at the 2015
Wimbledon Championships.[352]

26 September Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women's double title at the
Guangzhou International Women's Open.[353]

3 October Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the 2015 Wuhan Open women's
doubles title.

10 October Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women's double title at the 2015
China Open.[354]

Hockey[edit]

22 February Ranchi Rays won the Hockey India League by defeating Punjab Warriors.
[355]

12 April India won the bronze at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.[356]

11 October Punjab National Bank won the Beighton Cup.[357]

Golf[edit]

8 February Anirban Lahiri won the Malaysian Open (golf) title.[358]

22 February Anirban Lahiri won the Hero Indian Open golf title.[359]

Other[edit]

14 January Open water swimmer Bhakti Sharma established a record by swimming 1.4
miles in 52 minutes in 1 C waters in the Antarctic Ocean.[360]
 24 April Motor sports were given government recognition by including the Federation
of Motor Sports Clubs of India in the list of National Sports Federations (NSFs).[361]

26 June Satnam Singh Bhamara was signed by Dallas Mavericks, making him the first
Indian to be signed by an NBA team.[362]

29 June Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship by winning 7

out of 9 games and drawing 2 against Arghyadip Das.[363]

5 July India defeated Sri Lanka to retain the South Asian Basketball Association
Championship title.[364]

14 July Dipa Karmakar won a bronze medal at the ART Asian Gymnastics
Championships.[365]

2 August Joshna Chinappa won the 2015 Women's Victorian Open squash tournament
by defeating Line Hansen.[366][367]

13 August Pankaj Advani won the Six-red World Championship after defeating Ng On
Yee of Hong Kong.[368]

5 September Vikas Krishan Yadav won a silver at the 2015 Asian Amateur Boxing
Championships.[369]

24 September Abhishek Verma won a silver at the 2015 Archery World Cup in the
compound event.[370]

13 September Narsingh Pancham Yadav won a bronze at the 2015 World Wrestling
Championships, qualifying for the Rio Olympics.[371]

25 September Deepika Kumari won a silver at the 2015 Archery World Cup in the
recurve event.[372]

26 September10 October World Bridge Team Championships was held in Chennai.[373]

[374]

27 September Pankaj Advani won the 2015 IBSF World Billiards Championship by
defeating Peter Gilchrist in a timed match.[375]

30 September At the 2015 Asian Air Gun Championship, Heena Sidhu won gold in the
women's 10m air pistol event. Shweta Singh won silver in the marquee event. Heena,
Shweta and Yashaswini Singh Deshwal won the team woemn's 10m air pistol team event.
[376]
 31 October Michael Kueffer finished first in the Paragliding World Cup held in Bir,
Himachal Pradesh.[377]