Satyapal Malik, former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, passed away today, August 5, at the age of 79 after prolonged illness. He breathed his last in Delhi’s Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. As per a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Satyapal Malik was admitted to the ICU on July 9.

Satyapal Malik’s official social media handle has disclosed several health-related updates over time to avoid false rumours. He shared in June that he had been admitted in the hospital for nearly a month then for kidney problems.

ALSO READ

The former Jammu and Kashmir governor had served in influential posts for over 50 years in India. A strong member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in his post in June, revealed that he was among the front voices in the farmers’ protest and the women’s wrestlers’ movement. He was threatened with arrests as he ended his post with, “I want to tell the government and its agencies that I come from the farmer community; I am neither one to fear nor one to bow down.”

He served as the last tenure of Jammu and Kashmir between 2018 and 2019. Article 370 was abrogated during his tenure on August 5 in 2019. He also served as the Governor of Bihar and Meghalaya.

In May, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Satyapal Malik and seven others in connection with alleged corruption in the award of Rs 2,200 crores. This came after three years of probe against former the governor, and his alleged aids Virender Rana and Kanwar Singh Rana.

After this became public knowledge, Malik took to X and shared in May, "My condition is very bad right now. I am admitted to the hospital and am not in a condition to talk to anyone." Even then, he was admitted to the RML Nursing Home due to is recurring dialysis needs with last year

This comes just a day after former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren passed away in Delhi at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi visited the hospital to pay their last respects.