Jammu, Sept 08: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Jammu and Kashmir chief and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Doda, Mehraj Malik, was on Monday detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disrupting public order, officials said.
This marks the first instance of a sitting legislator in the Union Territory being booked under the stringent law, which permits detention without formal charge or trial for up to two years in specific cases.
Malik, 37, was initially picked up by police from Dak Bungalow while he was preparing to visit flood-affected areas of his constituency. He was later shifted to Bhaderwah jail on the orders of Deputy Commissioner Doda, Harvinder Singh, following a police dossier recommending his detention.
The move came against the backdrop of large-scale protests by government employees, who accused the MLA of routinely using abusive language against senior officials and inciting youth against the administration. They publicly rallied behind the Deputy Commissioner, lauding his “integrity, exceptional service, and compassion” towards residents, particularly flood victims.
Officials said Mehraj faced “dozens of complaints” over confrontations with government functionaries in recent months. Several of his close aides are also being booked under the PSA, with security forces reinforcing sensitive areas to prevent unrest.
Malik, who secured a historic victory for AAP in the 2024 assembly elections by defeating a BJP candidate in Doda, has often courted controversy. In April, he clashed with BJP and PDP members in the Assembly over remarks on Hindu festivals and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed—comments he later said were misinterpreted.
