Giani Zail Singh was an Indian politician and member of the Congress Party. He served as the seventh President of India. He was the President of India during Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Sardar Zail Singh, a Sikh by religion, was given the title of Giani, as he was educated and learned about Guru Granth Sahib. However, he did not have formal secular education. He had a humble start in life and his father was a Sikh Tarkhan Ramgarhia who was killed in an automobile accident.