Aam Aadmi Party's senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday strongly criticized the Jammu and Kashmir administration for slapping the Public Safety Act (PSA) on Doda MLA Mehraj Malik. He said by resorting to such actions, the government is trying to silence the elected voices.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Singh alleged that the government is deliberately trying to silence leaders who speak for the people.Singh said that AAP’s growing popularity in Jammu and Kashmir has rattled the ruling establishment. “We have always placed the demands of local people on top priority, whether it is development, employment, or healthcare. Mehraj Malik only demanded a hospital for his constituency, but instead of addressing that genuine demand, he was booked in false cases,” Singh stated.
Drawing parallels with cases against AAP leaders elsewhere, Singh alleged that fabricated FIRs have become a tool to muzzle dissent. “From Delhi to Punjab to Jammu, the story is the same. The AAP chief and other senior leaders have also faced politically motivated cases. The action against Mehraj Malik is no different,” he said.
Sanjay Singh asserted that AAP will not back down under pressure. “We will continue our struggle both on the streets and inside the courts. If needed, we will knock at the highest doors of justice for Mehraj Malik. This fight is not just about an individual, but about people’s right to demand development without fear of reprisal,” he added.
Singh’s remarks came during his visit to Jammu, where he met local party workers and addressed media. His comments are expected to intensify the political debate in Doda, where Malik’s arrest has already sparked protests and demands for his immediate release.
Meanwhile, Shamasuddin Malik, the father of detained Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik, on Wednesday said his son had been wrongly implicated under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
“The court will decide now. There was a fight with DC sahib (Deputy Commissioner of Doda). He has been wrongly charged under PSA,” Shamasuddin said, while expressing faith that justice would ultimately prevail.He added that his son has been fighting for the people of Doda and that certain elements unhappy with his popularity and support base had targeted him.
The detention of Mehraj Malik has sparked protests in Doda and drawn criticism from political and civil society groups, with many questioning the grounds of his arrest. Authorities, however, have defended the move, insisting that the preventive detention was necessary to maintain public order.
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