AAP MP Sanjay Singh Protests in Srinagar Over MLA’s PSA Arrest
Farooq Abdullah slams J&K administration; Opposition calls action “dictatorial.”
- AAP MP Sanjay Singh climbs Srinagar guest house gate to meet NC chief Farooq Abdullah.
- Claims he was put under house arrest while protesting MLA Mehraj Malik’s detention.
- Malik is the first sitting J&K legislator detained under the Public Safety Act.
- Farooq Abdullah calls the action unconstitutional and warns of unrest like Nepal and Bangladesh.
GG News Bureau
Srinagar, Sept 11: High drama unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh climbed the gate of a government guest house in Srinagar to speak with National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah. Singh alleged he was placed under house arrest while attempting to protest the detention of AAP’s lone J&K MLA Mehraj Malik.
Singh accused Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of ordering the police to confine him. “It is a very sad thing that Dr Farooq Abdullah ji came to meet me after hearing of my house arrest but was not allowed in. If this is not dictatorship, then what is it?” Singh said on X, sharing a video of himself standing on a chair to talk to Abdullah over the tall gate.
Mehraj Malik, MLA from Doda, was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on charges of disturbing public order—marking the first time a sitting legislator has been held under this law, which allows detention without trial for up to two years. Singh alleged Malik’s detention was “retaliation for raising people’s issues.”
Farooq Abdullah condemned the restrictions, telling ANI, “The right to protest is given by the Constitution of India. The sad part is J&K is a union territory and the LG is misusing his power. Was it important to prevent Sanjay Singh from speaking? This is not an autocracy.”
The NC chief also warned of unrest if constitutional rights are not protected, referencing recent turmoil in Nepal and Bangladesh. “Before such a fire breaks out in our country, take care of the Constitution,” he cautioned.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and other opposition figures, including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, also criticized the J&K administration’s actions.
