Jammu Kashmir's Lone AAP MLA Mehraj Malik Detained Under PSA; Kejriwal, Omar Abdullah Slam Action
This is for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir that a sitting MLA has been slapped with the PSA.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : September 8, 2025 at 3:51 PM IST
By Amir Tantray
Jammu: Mehraj Malik, the lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly representing the Doda-52 constituency, has been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) by the authorities, official sources said on Monday.
The legislator’s detention under the stringent law comes close on the heels of a controversy over the shifting of a damaged health centre to a private building in the district.
Official sources confirmed to ETV Bharat that Malik, who is also the J&K president of AAP, has been booked under the PSA and taken to the District Jail, Kathua, by the police. “Malik has been booked after 18 First Information Reports (FIRs) and 10 daily diaries were reported against him,” they added.
The MLA was arrested at the Dak Bungalow of Doda, where he had come to meet his supporters, and was taken to the Kathua jail via the Chattergala pass of Bhaderwah.
The PSA against Malik was slapped by the Deputy Commissioner, Doda Harvinder Singh, today, following which the police arrested him.
The PSA Act of 1978 allows the detention of an individual without trial to prevent actions which are harmful to the security of the state and public order for up to two years.
Official sources told ETV Bharat that the district administration of Doda had prepared a dossier against Malik, which was based on allegations of violating the public order and that his continuation of his activities posed a great threat to peace, public order and tranquillity in the district.
The dossier against the MLA mentioned that 18 FIRs and 10 daily diaries of police were registered against him, which included his threats against a lady doctor to strip him naked, theft at a sub-centre of Ayush in the Kencha area of Kahara in district Doda and other things.
“He had openly used abusive language against public servants, hindering relief work post-floods in the district, openly used Chitta (drugs) to improve intelligence and provoked youth against the administration. He was also considering himself above the law by claiming he is the lawmaker himself,” the dossier included, according to an official.
A bulletin by the J&K Legislative Assembly Secretariat also published the PSA against the AAP MLA intimated by DC Doda in terms of Rule 260 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
This is the first time in Jammu and Kashmir that a sitting MLA has been slapped with the PSA. “The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker, Chief Minister and others have been informed about the slapping of PSA on Malik,” said a source.
After Malik’s arrest, security was beefed up in Doda town and other areas of the district, as no one was allowed to hold any protest demonstration against his arrest. But his native place, the Malikpura area of Bhalessa, witnessed protest demonstrations by his supporters who demanded his early release.
But the things didn’t stop there, as earlier, before Malik’s arrest, many government employees, who were led by a few officers as well, held a protest demonstration in Doda town demanding an apology from the MLA for using abusive language against DC Doda and his family.
A protest by BJP leaders, including the contesting candidate from the Doda-52 constituency, Gajay Singh Rana, who lost the Assembly elections to Malik, also held a protest rally in the town demanding that Malik should be disqualified from the post of MLA.
What Led To The PSA Against The AAP MLA?
The PSA against the AAP MLA comes a day after he was detained at Dak Bungalow Doda for allegedly using abusive language against the district magistrate of Doda over a row around the shifting of a damaged government health centre to a private building, which he live-streamed on his Facebook page on September 5.
During the Facebook live stream on the shifting of Health Centre Kencha in Thathri block, Malik, who was reportedly confronted by an activist of a particular party, accused the district administration and the police of bias and allegedly used abusive language against the DC Doda. A day later, Malik, along with five others, was booked under an FIR at Gandoh Police Station following a complaint by the Block Medical Officer Thathri.
Sources further said that to ensure a law and order situation, more people will be slapped with a PSA.
The lone AAP legislator in J&K is not new to controversies. In May this year, the Doda MLA had threatened doctors and paramedics at Government Medical College Doda with dire consequences while calling them a “mafia”. The threats were met with a strike by the doctors at the medical college against Malik, against whom a case was also registered by a lady doctor at the time.
Malik courted another controversy in July with personal comments about Education Minister Sakina Itoo over the school timings after the summer vacation.
Kejriwal Condemns
AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal condemned Malik's detention under PSA while calling the lone AAP legislator in J&K a “lion”.
“Is demanding a hospital for the people in your area such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown into jail for it. Mehraj 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," Kejriwal wrote in a post on X.
‘Dictatorship of The Regime’, Says AAP Leader Sanjay Singh
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, has condemned the arrest of Malik by the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir. "AAP MLA @MehrajMalikAAP is raising his voice for a hospital in his area, but he has been arrested by the Jammu Kashmir Police. This is the dictatorship of the regime; @MehrajMalikAAP is a resilient leader who is not afraid of such cowardly actions," Singh wrote in a post on X.
The Aam Aadmi Party Jammu & Kashmir also condemned the “unlawful arrest” of Malik. In a statement issued here, a party spokesperson said that Malik had been detained and an FIR has been lodged against him, "with disturbing speculations of slapping the PSA (Public Safety Act) on him".
“This is nothing but an attempt to suppress the voice of the people and silence genuine democratic and public concerns raised by our leader. Such undemocratic actions reflect bureaucratic arrogance, which the people of Jammu & Kashmir will never accept,” the statement read.
“AAP J&K stands firmly with Shri Mehraj Malik in this struggle. We call upon the administration to immediately withdraw the FIR, release him, and stop intimidating leaders who raise the voice of the poor and marginalized,” it added.
J&K Politicians React
The AAP legislator's PSA detention has evoked a sharp reaction from Jammu and Kashmir politicians, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“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,” Abdullah posted on X.
PDP leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Para condemned the action against the fellow legislator, saying, “Draconian laws are weaponised to silence political voices & crush dissent.”
"Strongly condemn the use of PSA against MLA Mehraj Malik. Such draconian laws are weaponised to silence political voices & crush dissent. Such authoritarian measures are no way to resolve differences in a democracy," he wrote in a post on X.
“We strongly condemn the use of the PSA against @MehrajMalikAAP. This is a soulless democracy. The will of the people of J and K continues to be subservient. What is the fun of having elections if an elected representative cannot voice his sentiments. A very sad day for an already endangered democracy," Sajad Lone, J&K People's Conference President and Handwara MLA posted on X.
Ruling NC legislator Salman Sagar also condemned the PSA against Malik. “Strongly condemn the use of PSA against MLA Doda @MehrajMalikAAP. Detaining elected representatives under draconian laws sets a dangerous precedent in J&K post-2019, stifling democracy and silencing dissent. Free speech and political voices must be protected, not suppressed,” Sagar, who represents the Hazratbal constituency, wrote in a post on X.
CPI(M) leader and MLA M.Y. Tarigami strongly criticised the slapping of what he termed as a black and draconian law, the PSA, against MLA Mehraj-ud-din Malik. “Slapping PSA on an elected member of the Legislative Assembly sets a very wrong precedent. Such a harsh and unjustified measure must be immediately revoked," Tarigami said.
Awami National Conference (ANC) Senior Vice President, Muzaffar Shah, has strongly condemned the slapping of the PSA on Mehraj Malik, MLA, terming the action as unjust, undemocratic and politically motivated. Shah said that such measures expose the government’s insecurity and its failure to allow genuine political voices to operate freely. “Slapping a PSA on an elected representative is nothing but an attempt to silence the voice of the people he represents. It reflects the widening gap between the rulers and the aspirations of the masses,” Shah stated.
Former J&K Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid posted on X, "The only AAP MLA in J&K, Mehraj Malik, is habitual in hurling abuses at senior government functionaries and creating controversies for cheap popularity among the youth. As per reports, 18 FIRs and 10 daily diary reports have been registered against him. While a public representative has every right to raise issues concerning the people, that does not give him the right to physically assault public servants. He is, after all, a typical AAP candidate. He also stands accused of instigating the youth against the administration. The Doda administration is already working under extremely difficult conditions, particularly in the wake of the recent floods. He has been rightfully detained under the PSA act. @dcdodaofficial.”
AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP, Asadudin Owaisi posted on X, "J&K MLA @MehrajMalikAAP’s detention under the Public Safety Act is absolutely condemnable. He is the first MLA to be detained under the draconian law, but every past & present government has misused the law against its opponents. Currently, the Union govt has detained 400 people under the PSA."
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