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Doda Shuts Down as Protests Mount Over PSA Detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik

Authorities say a dossier citing 18 cases and police reports shows the legislator’s conduct threatened public order.

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik was arrested under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district on Monday. (HT file photo)
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Mehraj Malik | Image: X
Aam Aadmi Party workers protest demanding release of detained MLA Mehraj Malik in Jammu on Tuesday. (ANI)

Overview

  • Shops and banks were closed and gatherings were restricted in Doda on Wednesday as police used lathi charge and tear gas to disperse marchers, with schools shut and board exams for Classes 10 and 11 postponed.
  • Mehraj Malik, J&K’s lone AAP MLA, was detained under the Public Safety Act on 8 September and shifted to a district jail in preventive custody, a first for a sitting legislator in the region.
  • Officials said the PSA order followed a dossier referencing 18 FIRs and multiple daily diary entries alleging abusive conduct toward officials, obstruction of relief efforts, and a dispute over relocating a health sub‑centre in Kencha.
  • The J&K Assembly Secretariat issued a communique denying it endorsed the detention, saying it merely notified members as required under assembly rules.
  • Political reactions split along party lines, with CM Omar Abdullah, AAP leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, and regional parties condemning the move as undemocratic, the BJP supporting the action, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh arriving in Jammu.