40 years ago November 12, 1986: AICC(I) office-bearers resign

On November 12, 1986, the working president of the Congress (I) party, Kamlapati Tripathi, along with all office-bearers of the All India Congress (I) Committee, tendered their resignations to party leader Rajiv Gandhi. This move set the stage for the reorganization of the party at the central level. The office of working president, an ad-hoc position created by Indira Gandhi for Tripathi, was likely to be abolished.

In Punjab, five individuals, including three family members, were killed and two scooters were stolen by suspected terrorists. Security forces apprehended a self-styled "general" of a militant group, "Tat Khalsa," during the same period. In Kamalpur village, Chaman Lal, a shopkeeper, was fatally shot by four masked assailants wielding pistols, a rifle, and a double-barreled gun, who managed to flee the scene.

Meanwhile, a strike by the Junior Doctors Federation (JDF) against the government persisted in Delhi. The JDF alleged that the government had not made any further attempts at negotiation since talks had broken down. As a result, attendance at the OPD at Loknayak J P Hospital, the city's largest, plummeted from an average of 4,000 cases daily to just 564. The casualty department, which typically managed 400 cases, was reduced to handling only 15 serious cases.

Pakistan President General Zia-ul-Haq revealed that he had raised the issue of India supposedly amassing troops along the border with Pakistan during a recent conversation. Zia informed India that the presence of troops was for training purposes and that Pakistan would defend its borders against any aggressor.