Jagmohan
![The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan Award to Shri Jagmohan, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 28, 2016.jpg][float-right]Jagmohan Malhotra (25 September 1927 – 3 May 2021) was an Indian civil servant and politician who served in key administrative roles, including as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and Goa, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during two periods of heightened militancy (1984–1989 and 1990), and as Union Minister for Urban Development, Tourism and Culture, and Communications.[1][2] His career emphasized efficient governance and urban planning, notably contributing to the development of modern Delhi through housing initiatives that provided over a million units and the implementation of the city's Master Plan.[3] For his contributions to public administration, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Bhushan in 1977, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.[1][4] Jagmohan's tenure as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir remains defining and divisive; he oversaw the dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah government in 1984 and implemented security measures against Islamist insurgents during his 1990 stint amid escalating violence.[5] Proponents credit him with curbing militancy and facilitating the protection or evacuation of Kashmiri Pandits facing targeted killings, viewing his actions as necessary to restore order in a region undermined by political complicity with separatists.[6] Critics, however, accuse him of exacerbating communal tensions, including allegations of engineering the Pandit exodus to enable aggressive counterinsurgency and responsibility for the Gawkadal incident where security forces fired on protesters, resulting in numerous deaths.[7][4] These events, occurring shortly after his second appointment, fueled narratives of state overreach, though empirical accounts differ on causation and intent, with some sources highlighting prior militant threats as the primary driver of displacements.[6] Beyond administration, Jagmohan authored several books, including My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir (1991), which critiqued systemic failures in the region's governance and advocated for decisive intervention against radicalism.[8] His approach to public service, marked by uncompromising enforcement of law and urban renewal projects like slum redevelopment and infrastructure for events such as the Asian Games, earned him a reputation as a combative reformer, though often at the cost of political alliances across ideologies.[2][9]