| | 1 | '''1997: Key Events''' |
| | 2 | |
| | 3 | * The former film star and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalitha, is arrested on corruption charges. |
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| | 5 | * The liberalisation drive now includes consumer goods. Bill Gates visits India, as does Greek musician Yanni who performs outside the Taj Mahal. |
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| | 7 | * The BJP and Bahujan Samaj Party announce a coalition government in U.P. with a plan of rotating the Chief Ministership every six months, but this coalition comes to grief in the first six months. |
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| | 9 | * India joins the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of the World Trade Organisation, paving the way for a phased reduction in import tariffs on IT products. |
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| | 11 | * Caste violence sweeps through many parts of North and South India, as 10 Dalits are killed by the pro-landlord Ranvir Sena in Bihar, and violence escalates between Dalit and Thevar communities in Tamil Nadu. |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | * Gulshan Kumar, owner of the T-Series label and pioneer of the audio-cassette revolution of the 1990s, is assassinated. Leading Hindi composer Nadeem is accused of the murder, and also accused of acting in collusion with a Dubai-based mafia. Continuing accusations of the ‘criminalisation’ of the Hindi film industry lead to its being declared an ‘industry’ the following year. |
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| | 15 | * Doordarshan drops its plans to introduce a STAR-TV-led project of Direct-to- Home satellite TV. |
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| | 17 | * Amitabh Bachchan returns to film with the commercial disaster Mrityudaata. |