Deaths
Published: 01:03 AM, 09 July 2018
Rafiq Zakaria
Rafiq Zakaria was an Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric. He was closely associated with the Indian independence movement and the Indian National Congress party.
He was known for his advocacy of conservative Islam. Zakaria, a Konkani Muslim from Maharashtra, spent over 25 years in public service, including some time as a cabinet minister in state government of Maharashtra and later as a Member of the Indian parliament.
He served as deputy to Indira Gandhi, the leader of the Congress Party, in the Lok Sabha. Zakaria founded a number of schools and colleges in his constituency of Aurangabad. He was Chancellor of the Jamia Urdu, Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh), and President of Maharashtra College in Mumbai. He died on July 9, 2005 (aged 86) in Mumbai,Maharashtra, India.
