Zail Singh, 78, the first Indian president from the...

Zail Singh, 78, the first Indian president from the minority Sikh community, died yesterday, nearly a month after he was injured in an automobile accident. Mr. Singh, who was president from 1982 to 1987, suffered injuries when his car hit a truck. The exact cause of death was not announced. Mr. Singh was president during the height of the 10-year Sikh rebellion for independence in the northern state of Punjab. The militants said Sikhs were discriminated against by majority Hindus. Born May 5, 1916, Mr. Singh trained to become a Sikh priest. He joined the independence movement against British rule and later was a prominent leader of the Congress Party in Punjab. He became a member of the federal parliament in 1980 and was home minister until he was nominated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as the Congress Party's presidential candidate.

George Flint Peckham, 90, a voice teacher whose students included Judy Collins, died of a stroke Thursday in Seattle. He taught singing for more than 50 years. Among his students were Merilee Rush and Ann and Nancy Wilson of the rock group Heart.

Dr. Raymond E. Meek, 98, a retired New York eye surgeon who developed surgical procedures for repairing detached retinas, died Saturday of respiratory failure in Mechanicsburg, Pa. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Meek was senior surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University. He retired in 1957, eventually returning to Mechanicsburg, near his hometown of Harrisburg.