Former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik, who passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged spell of hospitalisation, had spoken of alleged security lapses that led to the Pahalgam terror attack in April, in what was purportedly his last interview.
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He had called the BJP-led NDA government “shameless” and “cowardly”, and attacked PM Narendra Modi directly, as he spoke to The Wire.
Malik was governor of Jammu and Kashmir when the Pulwama terrorist attack took place in 2019. He was the last to hold that post before the state was turned into union territory, and Ladakh was carved out as a separate UT.
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He served as governor in Bihar, Meghalaya, Goa and Odisha, too, and later said “serious intelligence failure and security lapses” led to the Pahalgam attack in which more than 40 paramilitary personnel were killed. Malik had later said his demands for more security had been ignored.
{{/usCountry}}He served as governor in Bihar, Meghalaya, Goa and Odisha, too, and later said “serious intelligence failure and security lapses” led to the Pahalgam attack in which more than 40 paramilitary personnel were killed. Malik had later said his demands for more security had been ignored.
{{/usCountry}}The central government repeatedly dismissed his claims.
His friction with the government first came to light as he sided with farmers in their 2020-21 protest against three laws that were later withdrawn. He had underlined his Jat identity — the community primarily engaged in farming in northern India — and said he was ready to quit as governor for supporting the protesting farmers.
He gave many more interviews against the Modi government after his term as governor of Meghalaya ended in 2022.
In an interview earlier this year, he said no lessons had been learnt from Pulwama, “and that's why Pahalgam took place”. He also called for the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha who, under central rule, was responsible for security.
Sinha later said at a function that he took “full responsibility” for the lapses.
After the Pahalgam attack in the interview that went online on May 6, Satya Pal Malik spoke against detentions and arrests of local people. He accused the central government of acting along communal lines and stoking a Hindu-Muslim divide.
He also spoke about the response of the compassionate Kashmiri people who condemned the attack with candle marches across the UT. PM Modi did not praise the Kashmiri response because of their religious identity, Mailk had alleged.
The interview was done before the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor against terror bases in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam massacre.