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Jagmohan Malhotra | |
|---|---|
Jagmohan in 2004 | |
| 5thGovernor of Jammu and Kashmir | |
| In office 19 January 1990 – 26 May 1990 | |
| Preceded by | K. V. Krishna Rao |
| Succeeded by | Girish Chandra Saxena |
| In office 26 April 1984 – 11 July 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Braj Kumar Nehru |
| Succeeded by | K. V. Krishna Rao |
| 6thLieutenant Governor of Delhi | |
| In office 2 September 1982 – 25 April 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Sundar Lal Khurana |
| Succeeded by | P. G. Gavai |
| In office 17 February 1980 – 30 March 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Dalip Rai Kohli |
| Succeeded by | Sundar Lal Khurana |
| 9thLieutenant Governor of Goa, Daman and Diu | |
| In office 31 March 1981 – 29 August 1982 | |
| Preceded by | P. S. Gill |
| Succeeded by | I. H. Latif |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1927 |
| Died | 3 May 2021(2021-05-03) (aged 93) |
| Spouse | Uma Jagmohan |
| Children | Deepika Kapoor,Manmohan |
| Awards | |
Jagmohan Malhotra (25 September 1927 – 3 May 2021),[1] known by the mononymJagmohan, was an Indian civil servant and politician. After working with theIndian National Congress, he joined theBharatiya Janata Party in 1995. He served asLieutenant Governor of Delhi and Goa, as the5thGovernor ofJammu and Kashmir, and for three terms asMember of Parliament for New Delhi. In the cabinet, he served as Union Minister forUrban Development andTourism.[2]
Jagmohan Malhotra was born in a Punjabi HinduKhatri family to Amir Chand and Dropadi Devi on 25 September 1927 inHafizabad,British India.[3] He got married in 1957 to Uma, who came to be known as Uma Jagmohan.[citation needed]
Jagmohan admiredGeorges-Eugene Haussmann.[4] Jagmohan first gained notoriety during his stint as vice-chairman of theDelhi Development Authority in the mid-1970s. During this time he grew close toSanjay Gandhi, who functioned as an informal advisor to his mother, Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi. Duringthe Emergency (1975–77), Sanjay Gandhi entrusted Jagmohan with the "beautification" of Delhi, a task that involvedlarge-scale demolition of slums. Jagmohan was very effective with the task. Already aPadma Shri since 1971, he was awarded thePadma Bhushan in 1977.
In 1982, as Delhi hosted theAsian Games, Jagmohan was serving his second term asLieutenant Governor of the city. The games were a success and Jagmohan's capable administration received credit. Later Delhi hosted theNon-Aligned Summit, which was also a success.
During his tenure asGovernor of Jammu and Kashmir (1984–89), the1986 Kashmir Riots had taken place, curfew was imposed, media was banned and state force was used relentlessly. Pakistan's prime ministerBenazir Bhutto in a series of speeches notoriously threatened to make him "Bhagmohan" (Bhag meaning "run", implying he would flee out of fear), and that "Ham us ko Jag-Jag Mo-Mo Han-Han bana denge" (transl."We will make him Jag-Jag Mo-Mo Han-Han", implying he would be cut/torn to pieces by militants).[5][6][7] In Jammu and Kashmir, Jagmohan is credited with bringing order to one of the most revered shrines of Hindus, called MataVaishno Devi. He created a board that continues to provide administration for the shrine. Infrastructure was developed and that continues to facilitate pilgrims.
In 1990, when militancy re-exploded in Kashmir, Jagmohan was re-appointed its governor by Prime MinisterV. P. Singh's led Janta Dal government.[8][9] The locals see him as the architect ofGawkadal Massacre in which more than 60 civilians were killed by Indian paramilitary forces although he was not involved in it. He fell out of favour with the Union government, and joined the BJP around 1994. However, allegations persist that he was involved in extra-legal crackdowns in Kashmir engineered byMufti Mohammad Sayeed.[10]
Jagmohan contestedthe seat for New Delhi in the Lok Sabha in 1996 for the11th Lok Sabha, where he defeatedBollywood starRajesh Khanna by 58,000 votes. In 1998 and 1999, Jagmohan won the seat again defeatingR. K. Dhawan of the Indian National Congress twice.
When the BJP'sAtal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister in 1998, Jagmohan served in his cabinet in a variety of portfolios, including communications, urban development and tourism.[11] During the 1990s, Jagmohan had served as anominated MP in theRajya Sabha in 1990–96, and won threeLok Sabha elections fromNew Delhi in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
In 2004, he lost toAjay Maken of the Indian National Congress by 12,784 votes.[12]
In 2019, Jagmohan participated in BJP's outreach campaign to increase awareness about the advantages ofrevoking Article 370 and 35A.[13]

On the basis of his service record and recommendations made by top civil servants, he was honoured, on 26 January 1971, with the award ofPadma Shri by thePresident of India, "for formulation and implementation of the Delhi Master Plan and for playing a pioneering role in planning and implementation of projects in Delhi".
With a meager revolving fund of just Rs. Five crore, Jagmohan launched large number of land acquisition and development schemes, showcasing how development effort could be financed by creating facilities – thus increasing value of the state land resources. For a series of innovations of this genre, good management skills, and for "his meritorious services to the country" he was awardedPadma Bhushan in 1977. In 2016,Padma Vibhushan was awarded to him. As Implementation Commissioner, and later as vice-chairman,Delhi Development Authority, Jagmohan executed various Parliament approved schemes of Clearance-cum-Resettlement-cum-Redevelopment, which critics called demolition drives.
Jagmohan was one of the founders of the Samkalp Foundation which provides civil services examination coaching to poor and marginal students along with accommodation and other facilities. He wrote "My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir".
Jagmohan Malhotra died in Delhi on 3 May 2021, at the age of 93.[14]
During the 1990s, Jagmohan had served as nominated MP in theRajya Sabha (the upper house of the Indian Parliament) from 1990 to 1996. Later, he was elected to theLok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) thrice from New Delhi.