Born in 1956 in Amritsar, Singh comes from a defence family, with his father having served in the Army and his brother in the Air Force. (Photo: X/@LtGenGurmit)
Three years after he retired as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff and just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh featured in a trailer of a newly launched news channel in which he spoke of his four decades of service as an Armyman and “enemies within” the country. Three years later, he was the Governor of Uttarakhand, replacing Baby Rani Maurya, who is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government at present.
Earlier this week, Singh grabbed the spotlight yet again after he returned — a first for him — a Bill amending the Freedom of Religion and Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Act, 2018, citing “clerical errors and repetitions”. The amendments had provided for stricter punishments for violations. Senior government officials now say the amendments will be pushed through an ordinance, while the Opposition points out that the Governor did not return the Bill on Constitutional grounds.
That the move came four years into Singh’s tenure — during which he approved contentious Bills such as the Uniform Civil Code Act Rules, the Minority Education Act (which abolished the Madrasa Board in the state), and the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination Ordinance, 2023, which was urgently approved by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the wake of protests across the state — has triggered murmurs in political circles.
During his Army career, Singh was posted in Banbasa of Uttarakhand for 10 years and also served as the Corps commander of the strategic XV Corps, which oversees operations at the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. As Additional Director-General of Military Operations, Singh handled operational and military strategic issues with regard to China.
Singh is the recipient of four Presidential awards, two commendations by the Chief of Army Staff, and has also been awarded the Param Vishishit Seva Medal, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, the Ati Vishishit Seva Medal, and the Vishishit Seva Medal.
Singh’s appointment as Governor in 2021, six months ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly polls, too raised eyebrows with many seeing it as the BJP’s attempt to reach out to Sikh voters. According to the 2011 Census, Sikhs in Uttarakhand number around 2.3 lakh and are concentrated in the Terai region, Dehradun, and Udham Singh Nagar, where they migrated after the Partition. Singh’s appointment was also viewed as the BJP’s counter to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which announced Ajay Kothiyal, a retired Army colonel and former principal of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, as its CM face.
While the Congress has called Singh a “token representation of the BJP”, the CPI(M-L) Liberation pointed to the Governor’s “political antecedents”.
“He regularly speaks about (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and his meeting with the PM, and speaks of nationalism when elections approach,” said state Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana.
CPI(M-L) L leader Indresh Maikhuri said the Governor had not returned the Bill on Constitutional grounds. “He is the Constitutional head of Uttarakhand and cannot take part in political events; he has attended rallies during elections. Even the anti-conversion Bill too was returned due to technical errors by the legislative department and not over Constitutional issues,” he said.
Maikhuri also alleged that Singh had been “ineffective” in defusing tensions that erupted after the police fired at locals in Banbhoolpura in February last year, leading to the death of five people. “We sought his intervention as there was a violent crackdown by the administration in the area. He agreed to our request for maintaining peace, but by the evening, the crackdown had only increased. Despite holding a Constitutional position, he did not work towards a resolution,” he said.
