Jammu: In a first-of-its-kind action, Jammu and Kashmir Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and sitting MLA from Doda, Mehraj Malik, was detained on Monday under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
The PSA, enacted in 1978 during Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s tenure as Chief Minister, allows authorities to detain a person for up to two years without judicial intervention.
Originally framed to tackle timber smuggling, the law has since been used against separatists and those considered a threat to public order in J&K. Malik is the first sitting legislator in the Union Territory to be booked under its provisions.
Malik, who won the 2024 J&K Assembly elections from Doda by defeating a BJP candidate with a margin of 4,538 votes, delivered AAP its maiden victory in the region.
His political career has been marked by frequent controversies — ranging from abusive outbursts against officials and doctors to a recent viral video in which he threatened the Doda deputy commissioner. The latter incident led to an FIR being registered against him.
His detention has triggered a political storm across party lines. NC MLA Salman Sagar condemned the move on X, calling it “a dangerous precedent”. He said, “Strongly condemn the use of PSA against MLA Doda Mehraj Malik. Detaining elected representatives under draconian laws sets a dangerous precedent in J&K post-2019, stifling democracy and silencing dissent. Free speech and political voices must be protected, not suppressed.”
PDP MLA Waheed Para termed it “a direct assault on democracy,” saying, “Shameful surrender. The Assembly Secretariat endorsing PSA against an elected MLA is a direct assault on democracy. J&K CM Omar Abdullah must act, don’t allow the institution of MLA, the last agency of the people, to be silenced. Today it’s Mehraj, tomorrow it could be you.”
AAP leaders also came out strongly in Malik’s defense. Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at the J&K government, questioning whether demanding a hospital for one’s constituency could warrant jail.
He described Malik as “the lion of AAP” who will continue to be the people’s voice. In a post on X, he said, “Is demanding a hospital for the people in your area such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown into jail for it? Mehraj Malik is the lion of the Aam Aadmi Party. He will always remain the voice of the people, fighting for their rights. Jail, threats, and conspiracies… none of these can ever scare any soldier of AAP.”
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP-led government was using dictatorial methods to silence dissent, saying, “The police of the dictators have arrested AAP MLA Mehraj Malik in Jammu-Kashmir for raising the demand for a hospital. This is the open dictatorship of the Modi-Shah government, drowned in the hunger for power, where those who raise their voice for the rights of the people are being seen as a threat. But history is witness, whenever dictatorship increases, then the revolution rises even louder.”
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government has informed the Speaker of the Assembly about the arrest.
(IANS)
