Rajasthan Governor S.K. Singh dead

JAIPUR - Rajasthan Governor S.K. Singh, who had earlier served as India’s foreign secretary, died in Delhi Tuesday after a brief illness at the age of 77.

Singh had been admitted in Gangaram Hospital in the national capital for the last few days. He is survived by his wife Manju Singh and two sons.

He was appointed governor of Rajasthan Aug 19, 2007.

Prior to becoming governor of Rajasthan, Singh was the governor of Arunachal Pradesh from December 2004 to September 2007.

Born Jan 24, 1932, Singh was highly educated. He received a Bachelor’s degree in History, Sanskrit and Hindi from St. John’s College in Agra. He attended the Agra University and received a Master’s degree in History and also did his LLB. Thereafter he read Persian and international law at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

Singh began his career in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1954. From 1956 to 1959, he was third secretary in Tehran.

In February 1989, Singh was appointed foreign secretary of India. He held the personal rank of Grade-1 Ambassador, the highest in the IFS.

Prior to becoming the foreign secretary, he was India’s longest serving ambassador to Pakistan from 1985 until 1989. He also served as ambassador to Austria from 1982-1985, additional foreign secretary from 1979-1982, ambassador to Afghanistan from 1977-1979 and ambassador concurrently to Jordan, Lebanon and Cyprus from 1974-1977.

Singh was regarded as a governor who was not just confined to the Raj Bhavan. He was said to be the first person to come out during times of crisis. During the Jaipur bomb blast or the fire at the Indian Oil Corporation’s terminal, Singh visited hospitals and met the injured.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje expressed grief over the death of the governor.