Satyapal Malik
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 79. He was the Governor of J&K when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was revoked.
Malik, who was the Governor when the Pulwama attack took place, passed away at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital at the Capital. He was admitted to the hospital for more than three months. He had also served as Governor in Bihar, Goa, Meghalaya and Odisha.
In a statement released by RML Hospital, Malik had a “longstanding” history of “diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, and other chronic health issues including morbid obesity and obstructive sleep apnea.”
RML said that he was admitted on May 11 with a complicated urinary tract infection. “… subsequently (he) developed refractory septic shock secondary to urinary tract infection, hospital acquired pneumonia and multi-organ dysfunction. Despite all appropriate and aggressive medical interventions including multiple antibiotics and cytosorb 2 sessions, including ventilatory support and critical care management, his condition continued to deteriorate. He also developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and acute kidney injury on chronic kidney disease needing multiple hemodialysis sessions,” the hospital said in a statement.
Malik, who was an aide of PM Modi, had become his staunch critic after he left his gubernatorial duties, and questioned Modi on alleged lapses during the Pulwama attack. He joined politics in the 1960s as part of Chaudhry Charan Singh’s party being elected to Rajya Sabha from the party. He was then elected to Lok Sabha from Janata Dal. He was also a member of Congress and then Samajwadi Party.
He joined the BJP in 2004 and was made the Governor of Bihar in 2017. He was then J&K Governor in 2018, and was Goa Governor in 2019. He went to Meghalaya as Governor in 2020, and retired from this post in October 2022.