Satyapal Malik, seasoned politician and former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, has passed away at the age of 79.
He had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related complications at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where he breathed his last.
A well-known Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, Mr Malik started his political life in the 1970s as a student activist.
He was first elected as an MLA in 1974 from Chaudhary Charan Singh's party, Bharatiya Kranti Dal. His life of public service lasted for decades and across various political parties — such as periods in the Janata Dal, Congress, Lok Dal, and Samajwadi Party.
Mr Malik sat in both the houses of Parliament — as a member of the Rajya Sabha and subsequently as a Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh.
He was made the Governor of Bihar in 2017 and had brief additional charge of Odisha. He was tasked with the Governorship of Jammu and Kashmir a year later, in August 2018, a role that put him at the forefront of a crucial and contentious moment in the state's history.
He was the Governor during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 — an action that deprived Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.
His stint was also during the Pulwama terror attack, where 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.
After his stint in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Malik became the Governor of Goa followed by Meghalaya.
During his last years in public life, Mr Malik turned into an outspoken critic of the government led by Narendra Modi. Differences started surfacing somewhere around 2020–2021, especially when he joined the farmers' protests against the then-fresh farm laws that were later repealed.
His harshest criticism was in a 2023 interview when he accused serious lapses in the run-up to the Pulwama attack, including denial of aircraft for moving troops by the Centre and a reported request to remain silent about the failures.
"CRPF's request for aircraft was rejected and they were attacked while on the road," Mr Malik said during the interview, alleging the government had asked him to keep quiet over the matter.
The BJP responded to these claims by spreading older video clips where Mr Malik had spoken highly of the administration, raising doubts about his consistency and credibility.
His increasing displeasure with the party in power drew him closer to the Opposition, specifically the Congress. In 2023, Rahul Gandhi interviewed him as part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra campaign, where during which Mr Malik again expressed his reservations.
Earlier this year, in May, Mr Gandhi — now Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha — went to meet Mr Malik in the hospital, another demonstration of support.
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