SRINAGAR: Sitting AAP MLA Mehraj Malik who was arrested and booked under the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978 on Monday, has been shifted to Kathua jail. Internet has been suspended in many parts of the Doda district in anticipation of planned protests by AAP supporters.
Mehraj, who had defeated BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana by 4,538 votes to win Doda Assembly seat in last year’s Assembly polls, was yesterday booked under provision of J&K Public Safety Act, 1978, on the grounds of his activities being prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.
After his arrest and booking under PSA, Malik was shifted to Bhaderwah district jail, and later in the evening, was shifted to District Kathua jail in neighbouring Kathua district.
At midnight, he was taken to Government Medical College Kathua, where his medical check-up was conducted. After the check up, police then shifted him to District Kathua jail and lodged him there.
Some of his supporters were present near the district jail Kathua and chanted slogans like, “Lok Tantra Ki Hatya Bandh Karo (stop killing democracy)”.
The authorities have suspended internet services in many parts of the Doda district on Tuesday.
The AAP has called for protests against the MLA’s arrest and authorities have deployed police and paramilitary personnel in strength in some sensitive areas. The MLA’s supporters had also held protests at some places in the district yesterday after his detention and booking under PSA.
Mehraj is the first sitting MLA in J&K to be booked under stringent PSA that allows detention upto two year without charge or trial.
According to PSA order issued by District Magistrate Doda Harvinder Singh, invoking PSA against the MLA has been taken after due consideration of all relevant materials, reports, and circumstances that clearly establish that the continuance of such activities by the MLA posed a great threat to peace, public order and tranquillity in the district.
Since Mehraj is an MLA, DC Doda had informed J&K Legislative Assembly Speaker about booking of the MLA under PSA.
According to DC, the preventive detention under the PSA was found necessary “in the interest of maintaining public order and safeguarding law and order in the region.”
The firebrand AAP MLA, who had earlier extended support to Omar Abdullah in government formation but in June this year withdrew support to the government, had been pressing the Deputy Commissioner Doda for shifting the primary health to a centrally located place.
He had allegedly used abusive language against the DC for not shifting the health centre from its present location. The DC had claimed that the MLA wanted the administration to allow the sub-centre to function in a building built by one of his supporters on state land and pay him monthly rent.
After the incident, administration had registered FIR against him and five of his supporters
About 18 FIRs have been registered against Malik, who has courted controversies with his statements and abusive language.
The arrest of Mehraj and booking him under PSA has drawn strong criticism from political leaders in J&K.
“There is no justification for detaining Mehraj Malik under PSA. He’s not a threat to “public safety” & using this discredited law to detain him is wrong. If the unelected government can use its powers against an elected representative like this then how does anyone expect the people of J&K to continue to have faith in democracy,” J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on X.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in a post on X said, “Is demanding a hospital for the people of your are such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown jail for it. Mehraj Malik is the lion of 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”.
J&K Congress leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir while condemning unjust detention of MLA Mehraj under PSA said, “This undemocratic act undermines the will of the people & erodes faith in our institutions. I demand his immediate release & call for united opposition to such authoritarianism.”
PDP MLA Rafiq Ahmed Naik described the imposition of PSA on elected representative as a brazen attack on the very spirit of democracy.
“Using draconian laws against an elected leader sets a dangerous and alarming precedent. In a true democracy, dissent must be confronted with dialogue and debate, not criminalised and suppressed,” he said.
Peoples Conference president and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone said the will of the people of J&K continues to be subservient. “What is the purpose of holding elections if an elected representative is denied the right to express his sentiments”.
“This is a soulless democracy,” Lone said and warned such measures only deepen the crisis of credibility facing the democratic institutions in the region.
Former Minister and J&K Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir said, “If the MLA had committed any offence, he should have been charged under the appropriate laws. There was no need to impose such a harsh law, under which he could be kept in jail without trial.”