1971 in India

Incumbents

• President of India – V. V. Giri
• Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi
• Chief Justice of India – Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah, Sarv Mittra Sikri

  Governors

• Assam –
• Bihar –
• Gujarat –
• Haryana –
• Himachal Pradesh –
• Jammu and Kashmir –
• Karnataka –
• Kerala –
• Madhya Pradesh –
• Maharashtra –
• Nagaland –
• Odisha –
• Punjab –
• Rajasthan –
• Tamil Nadu –
• Telangana –
• Uttar Pradesh –
• West Bengal –

  Events

• 25 January – Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state and East Punjab is reduced to its current form as Doaba.
• 19 April – The provisional government of Bangladesh exiled flees to West Bengal.
• 25 August – The former East Pakistan and eastern Bengal are flooded; thousands flee the area.
• 29 September – A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in Orissa State in India, kills 10,000.
• 3 December – 17 December: India and Pakistan fight their second major war, over East Pakistan, which ends after 90,000 Pakistani troops surrender. The new nation of Bangladesh is created out of East Pakistan.
• 3 December – The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 begins as Pakistan attacks 9 Indian airbases. The next day India launches a massive invasion of East Pakistan.
• 3 December – 4 December night: The Indian navy destroyer INS Rajput sinks Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi.
• 16 December – Victory Day of Bangladesh: The Pakistan Army surrenders to the Joint Force i.e. Mukti Bahini and the Indian Armed Forces, officially ending the Pakistani Civil War and creating the new nation state of Bangladesh.

  Sport

• Leslie Claudius is awarded the Padma Shri.

  Births

• 4 February - Kothapalli Geetha, politician Member of Parliament from Araku
• 1 May – Ajith Kumar, Actor and motor racing driver.
• 21 June - Butta Renuka, politician and member of parliament from Kurnool.
• 4 July – Sivakumar Veerasamy, Scientist.
• 17 July – Soundarya, Actress.
• 5 August – Jude Menezes, Field hockey player.
• 8 August – Ramandeep Singh, Field hockey player.
• 2 September – Pawan Kalyan, Actor and film director.
• 19 November - Kiren Rijiju, politician, member of parliament from Arunachal West, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs.
• 18 December – Barkha Dutt, Television journalist.
• 25 December – Santhosh George Kulangara, Businessman.

  Deaths

• Debaki Bose, film director, writer and actor.
• Keshavrao Date, actor.