New Delhi: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday criticized the detention of the party’s lone MLA in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehraj Malik, under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), asserting that Malik was merely voicing the concerns of his constituency.
“Is demanding a hospital for the people of your area such a serious crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown in jail for it? Mehraj Malik is the lion of the Aam Aadmi Party,” Kejriwal wrote on X in Hindi.
“He will always remain the voice of the people, fighting for their rights. Jail, threats, and conspiracies… none of these can ever intimidate any soldier of AAP,” the party’s national convenor added.
The 37-year-old MLA was detained on Monday under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district, following a protest by government employees who accused him of running a disparaging campaign against the deputy commissioner.
This marks the first time a sitting MLA in Jammu and Kashmir has been taken into custody under the PSA, a law that allows detention without charge or trial for up to two years in some cases.
Officials said Malik was apprehended at Dak Bungalow while planning a visit to flood-hit areas of his constituency and was later transferred to Bhaderwah district jail on the orders of the Doda deputy commissioner after a police dossier was prepared against him.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia condemned the detention, calling it “the open dictatorship of the Modi-Shah government, driven by an insatiable hunger for power.” In a post on X, he added that those raising their voice for public rights were being treated as threats, but “history shows that whenever dictatorship rises, the revolution gains momentum.”
Before being moved to jail, Malik shared a video claiming he was being stopped from meeting people affected by flash floods and heavy rains. “Many areas in my constituency remain without road connectivity, ration, or shelter after homes were damaged, yet I am being detained here,” he said.
In the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Malik won the Doda seat by over 4,500 votes, marking AAP’s first-ever victory in the Union Territory.
