Former J&K Governor Satyapal Malik passes away at 79

Satyapal Malik, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79 in Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. His personal secretary KS Rana confirmed the death, stating Malik had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related complications. He was admitted to the hospital on May 11 and had been on dialysis. Hospital authorities stated that he died at 1:10 PM.

On June 8, Malik posted on social media describing his condition as “serious.” A day before that, he had shared that he had been hospitalized for a month due to kidney-related health issues. He had been under continuous treatment since then and remained in hospital until his death.

Malik served as the last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. During his tenure, Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, removing the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir. He was the first politician to be appointed Governor of the region since militancy began.

His political career began in the late 1960s as a student leader. Malik was associated with multiple parties over the decades, including Bhartiya Kranti Dal, Congress, Janata Dal, and BJP. He was elected as an MLA from Baghpat in 1974 and became a Rajya Sabha MP in 1980. After leaving Congress in 1987, he joined Janata Dal and won the Aligarh Lok Sabha seat in 1989. He served as the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.

Malik held gubernatorial roles in Bihar, Goa, and Meghalaya in addition to Jammu and Kashmir. He was the Governor of Bihar briefly in 2017, then served in Goa before being moved to Jammu and Kashmir. After completing his tenure there, he was appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya until October 2022.