AAP Leader Mehraj Malik Detained Under PSA in Jammu and Kashmir: What You Need to Know
In a shocking development, Jammu and Kashmir Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Doda MLA Mehraj Malik faced detention under the tough Public Safety Act (PSA) on Monday. This marks the first time a sitting legislator in the Union Territory has been booked under this law, sparking widespread outrage.
The PSA, introduced back in 1978 during Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s time as Chief Minister, lets authorities hold someone for up to two years without going to court. It started as a tool to fight timber smuggling but soon became a way to target separatists and anyone seen as a risk to public order in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehraj Malik grabbed headlines by winning the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections from Doda. He beat a BJP candidate by 4,538 votes, giving AAP its very first win in the region. But his journey hasn’t been smooth—controversies have followed him, from heated arguments with officials and doctors to a recent viral video where he threatened the Doda deputy commissioner. That clip led to an FIR against him.
Now, his PSA detention has ignited a political firestorm. National Conference (NC) MLA Salman Sagar slammed it on X (formerly Twitter), 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 didn’t hold back either, labeling it "a direct assault on democracy." He tweeted, "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 bigwigs rallied behind Malik too. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal fired shots at the Jammu and Kashmir government, asking if pushing for a hospital in his area really deserves jail time. In an X post, he called Malik "the lion of AAP" and added, "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 accused the BJP-led central government of using "dictatorial methods" to crush voices. He said, "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."
The Jammu and Kashmir government has already notified the Assembly Speaker about Malik’s arrest, keeping things official amid the growing uproar. As reactions pour in from across parties, this PSA case against Mehraj Malik raises big questions about democracy and free speech in the region. Stay tuned for more updates on this Jammu and Kashmir political controversy.
