Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79 following a lengthy illness. The seasoned leader died around 1 pm at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where he was receiving treatment.

Malik held the position of the last Governor of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 until October 2019. It was during his time in office that Article 370 was abrogated, stripping the state of its special status on 5 August 2019. Today marks the sixth anniversary of that significant decision.

A three-time member of parliament and former Union Minister of State, Malik was the first politician to be appointed as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since the beginning of militancy in the area.

He was subsequently appointed as the Governor of Goa and later served as the Governor of Meghalaya until October 2022. Earlier, in 2017, he briefly held the position of Governor of Bihar.

Malik’s political journey began as a socialist figure in the late 1960s. Starting as a student leader, he navigated through various political affiliations, including Chaudhary Charan Singh’s Bhartiya Kranti Dal, Congress, and VP Singh-led Janata Dal, before ultimately joining the BJP in 2004.

Due to his close relationship with Chaudhary Charan Singh, he entered electoral politics in 1974 and was elected as an MLA from Baghpat for the first time. He later joined the Lok Dal alongside Charan Singh, who appointed him as the party’s General Secretary.

In 1980, Malik entered the Rajya Sabha representing Lok Dal. However, his tenure was short-lived. In 1984, he joined the Congress and returned to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.

Following the Bofors scandal during Rajiv Gandhi’s administration, Malik resigned from the Congress in 1987 and joined VP Singh’s Janata Dal. In 1989, he won the Lok Sabha seat from Aligarh as a Janata Dal candidate and was sworn in as the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.

In 2004, Malik became a member of the BJP under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but he lost the Lok Sabha election to RLD chief Ajit Singh in Baghpat.

During the initial term of the Modi government, Malik was appointed as the head of a parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing the land acquisition bill. His committee opposed the bill, leading the government to shelve it.

Following his departure from the Governor’s office, Malik’s criticism of the central government grew stronger. He became a prominent advocate for the farmers’ protests and made serious allegations concerning the 2019 Pulwama attack.

He criticized the Centre’s approach to the farmers’ protests and called for dialogue, asserting, “You cannot send farmers back humiliated.” On another occasion, Malik stated that the nation had “never witnessed such a massive protest in which 600 people died,” and he condemned the Centre’s alleged inaction on the matter.

In a shocking statement in 2023, he asserted that the attack was due to a “grave intelligence failure” and claimed that the CRPF’s request for an aircraft to transport personnel was denied by the Home Ministry. He also alleged that he was directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval to keep silent about the issue.