Janak Singh
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Janak Singh | |
|---|---|
 Major General Janak Singh | |
| Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir | |
| In office 11 August 1947 – 14 October 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Ram Chandra Kak |
| Succeeded by | Mehr Chand Mahajan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1872 |
| Died | 15 April 1972 (aged 99) |
Major General Janak Singh (surname Katoch) CIE, OBI, (7 August 1872 – 15 March 1972) was an officer of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After retirement, he briefly served as the prime minister of the state during a crucial period in 1947, which was evidently a temporary appointment while the Maharaja looked for a more permanent candidate.[1][2][3]
Early Life
[edit]Janak Singh was born in the village of Khaira in the Kangra district, in the present-day state of Himachal Pradesh in India in 1872 where he completed his primary education by 1884.[4] [5] [6]
Biography
[edit]He began as Naib-Tehsildar in Ramnagar on June 11, 1901, and was commissioned as a Major in the Department of Army Administration & Quartermaster General (DAA & QMG) at the Jammu and Kashmir Army Headquarters the following year. In 1905, he came into contact with Raja Amar Singh, influencing his subsequent postings. By 1912, he had served as Wazir Wazarat in Kathua, Kishtwar, and Gilgit. From 1915 to 1917, he was appointed Military Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief, Raja Hari Singh, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[7] From 1917 to 1920, Janak Singh commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Kashmir Rifles in Gilgit, followed by leadership of the 3rd Kashmir Rifles at Satwari Cantonment. Between 1921 and 1925, he served as Revenue and Foreign Minister. After 1925, he held multiple ministerial portfolios, including Army, Public Works, Law, and Revenue, reflecting his significant role in the administration of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1947, during a critical period leading up to the state’s accession to India, he briefly served as Prime Minister.[8]
Military career
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Political career
[edit]Singh was army minister in the government of Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir during 1929–1931.[9] He also served as the revenue minister.[citation needed] On 11 August 1947 he was brought out of retirement to be the prime minister at a turbulent time on the eve of the independence of India and Pakistan.[10] This is deemed to be a temporary appointment while the Maharaja searched for a more permanent replacement.[2][3][11]
He steered the Standstill Agreement that Kashmir wanted to sign with India and Pakistan.[12] The agreement was not signed by India, and before further deliberations were done Pakistan-assisted raiders had marched into Kashmir state. Janak Singh was replaced by Mehr Chand Mahajan on 15 October 1947.[13] On 13 September 1947 Maharaja Hari Singh requested the loan of the services of Lt. Col. Kashmir Singh Katoch (son of Janak Singh) to act as the military adviser to the Maharaja. This request was granted by the Indian government.[11][a]
Honours
[edit] |
Singh had won a Military Cross with a unit of the Frontier Force Rifles during World War II in action in Italy. He ultimately retired as a Lt. General in the Indian Army. The other two sons also served in the Indian Army, one in the 5 Gorkha Rifles, Brigadier Devendra Singh Katoch, AVSM, and the youngest, Lt. Colonel Rajendra Singh Katoch, followed his father into the J&K State forces, where he was commissioned into the J&K Bodyguard Cavalry.[14]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Lt. Col. Kashmir Singh Katoch was the eldest of the three sons of Janak Singh.
References
[edit]- ^ Nanda, (Lieut. Gen.) K. K (1994). Conquering Kashmir : A Pakistani Obsession. New Delhi: Lancers Books. p. 45. ISBN 978-81-7095-045-5.
- ^ a b Das Gupta 1968, pp. 87–88.
- ^ a b Jha 1996, p. 44.
- ^ Katoch 2025, pp. 247.
- ^ Śarmā, Baṃśī Rāma; (Simla India), Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies (2007). Gods of Himachal Pradesh. New Delhi: Indus Pub. Co. in association with Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies, H.P. University, Shimla. p. 105. ISBN 978-81-7387-209-9.
- ^ Katoch, Lt. Gen Ghanshyam Singh (2025). A Kashmir Knight and the last 50 years of the princely state of J&K. Sabre & Quill. ISBN 9789348152374.
- ^ Katoch 2025, pp. 247, 248.
- ^ Katoch 2025, pp. 254.
- ^ Singh 2010, pp. 149, 163.
- ^ Robert. G. Wirsing. India, Pakistan, and the Kashmir Dispute.On Regional conflict and its Resolution. P.33. St Martins Press, New York, 1998
- ^ a b Singh 2010, p. 215.
- ^ Looking Back: The Autobiography of Mehr Chand Mahajan Former Chief Justice of India. Asia Publishing House, New Delhi, 1963, p. 125 & 267
- ^ Bajwa, K. S (2003). Jammu and Kashmir War, 1947-1948 : Political and Military Perspective. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. p. 77. ISBN 978-81-241-0923-6.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Brigadier Samir (2013). Nothing But! : Book Three: What Price Freedom. Partridge Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 9781482816266.
Bibliography
[edit]- Das Gupta, Jyoti Bhusan (1968), Jammu and Kashmir, Springer, ISBN 978-94-011-9231-6
- Jha, Prem Shankar (1996), Kashmir, 1947: Rival Versions of History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-563766-3 – via archive.org
- Singh, K. Brahma (1990), History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956: The State Force Background, Lancer International, ISBN 978-81-7062-091-4
- Singh, K. Brahma (2010) [first published Lancer International 1990], History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956: The State Force Background (PDF), brahmasingh.co.nf, ISBN 978-81-7062-091-4, archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016
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