Poonch, September 9 : The District Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DGPC) in Poonch has welcomed the detention of lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik in Jammu and Kashmir.
Poonch DGPC General Secretary Harcharan Singh accused the AAP MLA, who has been detained and booked under the strict Public Safety Act (PSA) on charges of disturbing public order, of being disrespectful in his interactions with a public official and promoting drugs.
“I am thankful to the LG administration and Omar Abdullah government for the arrest of Mehraj Malik, Doda MLA. He used to promote drugs and abuse IAS officer Harwinder Singh. He talks disrespectfully. Action was taken against him after every organisation, DGPC, and MLAs condemned the derogatory statement made by Malik against the (Sikh) IAS office,” Singh told ANI.
“We are relieved that action has been taken against this man,” he added.
Reacting to Malik’s detention, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday stated that while there was no justification for his detain, he was not a threat to “public safety,” and using discredited law was wrong.
Further in his post, the CM stated that the use of powers against an elected representative by an unelected government would raise questions about democracy among the people.
“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,” the post read.
This comes after Malik, representing Doda assembly constituency, was booked under provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA) on Monday on grounds of his activities being prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.
According to reports, action against him has been taken after due consideration of all relevant materials, reports and circumstances clearly establishing that the continuance of such activities by a member of the Legislative Assembly posed a grave threat to peace, public order and tranquillity in a district.
Preventive detection under PSA was found necessary in the interest of maintaining public order and safeguarding law and order in the region.
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal strongly reacted to the arrest, questioning the rationale behind the same, further stating that it was an attack on democracy.
“Is demanding a hospital for the people your area such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown jail for it Mehraaj 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,” the post read.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para termed the arrest a “direct assault on democracy,” while calling out the endorsement of PSA against an elected MLA by the Assembly Secretariat.
Further in his post, Para demanded the protection of the democratic sanctity of elected representatives.
“Shameful surrender. 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,” the post read. (ANI)
