Police Foil AAP Protest in Srinagar; MP Sanjay Singh Placed Under House Arrest, Omar Abdullah Slams PSA on Mehraj Malik
SRINAGAR, Sept 11: Authorities in Srinagar on Wednesday thwarted an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) protest march against the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), placing AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh under house arrest and detaining several party workers. Security restrictions were tightened in the city centre to prevent the demonstration from gaining momentum.
Singh, who had arrived in Srinagar to protest the use of the PSA against his party colleague, found himself confined to the Circuit House, where gates were locked by police to block his planned march. In a dramatic scene, Singh climbed the locked gate and confronted officials, questioning why National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah was not allowed to meet him. “He is a former MP, a many-time Chief Minister, and I am also an MP. What is the crime in us meeting? Why is this being stopped?” Singh demanded.
Abdullah, who was stopped at the entrance of the Circuit House, lashed out at the administration, calling the restrictions excessive. “A man only wants to speak within the Constitution, yet he is stopped. He is my friend in Parliament, and we are not even permitted to exchange courtesies. This is not the police’s fault but the Lieutenant Governor’s decision,” he told reporters.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned Singh’s house arrest and Malik’s detention under PSA, calling both actions “illegal, undemocratic, and harmful to democracy.” Speaking in Srinagar, he said these repeated incidents of restrictions and detentions undermine the government’s narrative of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. “They say everything is fine, people are happy, and a new J&K is emerging. But in reality, all they do is impose restrictions and detain political representatives,” he remarked.
Omar Abdullah also raised questions about the legality of Singh’s detention. “You have kept a Rajya Sabha member locked up without any order. Under which law? Is there preventive detention? Or do you just close the gate and call it detention? This is not right for democracy, and the message will go out to the people that this government fears dissent,” he said.
On Malik’s case, Omar Abdullah was unequivocal in his criticism, terming the use of PSA against an elected legislator a “serious misuse” of the law. “If someone has concerns about his behavior, take it up with the Assembly Secretariat or the Speaker. But slapping PSA on an MLA is completely wrong. This mistake has only been compounded by the government’s stubbornness,” he added.
The Chief Minister also revealed that he had met Malik’s father, assuring him of support in the legal fight ahead. Drawing from his own experience of being detained under PSA in 2020, he advised the family to rely on local legal expertise. “PSA is unique to Jammu and Kashmir and not easy to understand for lawyers from outside. I told Malik’s father that it is better to appoint a lawyer from here who knows the law inside out. If they need help, we are ready to provide it,” Omar said.
