Former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as the governor of Delhi in a major reshuffle of governors and non-commissioned officers in nine states and union territories ahead of crucial upcoming elections.
The current Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, was also appointed as the Governor of Ladakh following the earlier resignation of Ladakh Governor Kavinder Gupta.
Read also | Major Change of Governors by President Murmu – Checklist
He unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amritsar on a BJP ticket.
Who is Taranjit Singh Sandhu?
A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Sandhu was one of India’s most experienced diplomats in United States affairs. He was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC from July 2013 to January 2017 and earlier served as First Secretary (Political) from 1997 to 2000 and Liaison with the US Congress.
Read also | PM Modi’s US visit: Indian envoy Taranjit Sandhu shares six ‘broad elements’
In addition, he was posted to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from July 2005 to February 2009.
His most notable assignment was serving as India’s ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024. During this period, he managed the Covid-19 pandemic, the change in the US administration, and notably oversaw Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in 2023.
Early education
Taranjit Singh Sandhu was born on 23 January 1963 in the family of an educationist. He attended The Lawrence School, Sanawar, and received a BA in History (Hons) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He later completed his Masters in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, according to the official website of the Indian Embassy in the US.
Sandhu’s diplomatic career
In a career spanning over thirty years in the Indian Foreign Service from 1988, Sandhu began his diplomatic career in the former Soviet Union (Russia) where he served as Third Secretary (Political) / Second Secretary (Commercial) in the Indian Mission from 1990 to 1992.
Read also | Who is Petal Gahlot – the Indian diplomat who brought down Pak Shehbaz Sharif at the UN?
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was sent to open a new embassy in Ukraine. From 1992 to 1994, he served as the Head of the Political and Administrative Department at the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, according to the official website of the Indian Embassy in the US.
Read also | Watch: Pro-Khalistan supporters of Nijjar boo Indian envoy at New York Gurdwara
Prior to his current assignment in Washington DC, Sandhu was the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka from January 2017 to January 2020. He also served at the High Commissioner of India in Colombo from December 2000 to September 2004, previously as Head of the Political Wing.
Sandhu is married to Reenat Sandhu, who is a senior officer in the Indian Foreign Service and is currently the Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands. They have two children.
In November 2023, Taranjit Singh Sandhu experienced a tense encounter at the Hicksville Gurdwara in Long Island, New York, where he had gone to attend Gurpurab prayers.
A video circulating on social media shows him being confronted by extremists expressing support for Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, both designated as terrorists by India. The situation escalated, prompting the ambassador to quickly leave the premises. A protester was seen waving the Khalistani flag outside the Gurdwara.
(With input from agencies)
