Talking head: How J&K L-G found himself in hot water in less than a week

Girish Chandra Murmu was a surprise appointment as lieutenant governor last year as soon as the erstwhile undivided state was officially split into two Union Territories

In the span of less than a week, a former bureaucrat close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has found himself in hot water. Since the officer concerned is Girish Chandra Murmu, current lieutenant governor of Jammu & Kashmir, the developments are striking. Murmu, always the quintessential low-profile mandarin, rarely speaks in public and when he does, his statements are always in lockstep with the thinking within this government.

First, five days ago, Murmu batted for restoration of 4G telecom services in J&K, according to a report in the Indian Express. The newspaper quoted him as saying, “I feel that 4G will