Satyapal Malik, Former J&K Governor, Dies Aged 79

Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik passed away on Tuesday. He was aged 79.

Malik had been suffering from kidney-related ailments and was under treatment at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital since May 11. He was suffering from leg, urine, lung and kidney infection, as per NDTV report.

Malik has been the Governor of Bihar, Goa, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir. His tenure in J&K lasted from Aug. 23, 2018 to Oct. 30, 2019. Towards the end of this period, the state was bifurcated into two union territories and its special status was abrogated.

Malik, a Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, started his political journey as a student leader. He was elected as an MLA of Chaudhary Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1974. Malik served as a Rajya Sabha MP and later as Janata Dal's Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh. Later, he switched to the Congress, then to the Lok Dal and then to Samajwadi Party.