Jammu: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday condemned the arrest of party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), calling it “unconstitutional.”
Malik, a legislator from Doda, was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, on allegations that his activities were prejudicial to public order, officials said.
Singh, who arrived in Jammu earlier in the day, stated that he would meet party leaders in the region to discuss the next course of action. He added that the party plans to raise the issue on the streets, in Parliament, and potentially in the Supreme Court.
“It is unconstitutional to invoke the PSA against AAP’s Doda MLA, Mehraj Malik. This reflects the government’s anti-people mindset—a man asking for a hospital was slapped with the PSA,” Singh told reporters. He further accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting AAP leaders, saying, “The Prime Minister is always after AAP… We will take this matter up strongly, on the streets, in Parliament, and may also approach the Supreme Court.”
Malik was booked under the PSA on Monday for activities deemed prejudicial to public order. Officials stated that preventive detention was necessary to maintain law and order in the region.
Shamas Din Malik, the MLA’s father, claimed his son was wrongly charged, emphasizing that the court would determine the legality of the arrest. “There was a disagreement with the Doda Deputy Commissioner… He has been wrongly charged under the PSA,” he told reporters here.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticized the detention, saying it undermines public trust in democracy. “I fail to understand what warranted such a strict law like the PSA. There was no incident of stone-pelting. Innocent people are being harassed while those who hurt religious sentiments face no action,” he said.
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on democracy. Similarly, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para described it as a “direct assault on democracy,” criticizing the Assembly Secretariat’s approval of the PSA against an elected representative.
Amid fears of potential unrest, the Doda district administration has imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
