'LG Responsible For Situation In Doda': Farooq After Protests Over MLA’s Arrest

Srinagar: National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday held Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha responsible for the escalating law and order crisis in Doda district following the arrest of sitting and lone Aam Aadmi Party legislator Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

"The law and order is up to the Lieutenant Governor. The police system is under his authority. He is responsible for whatever happens there (in Doda). He has to take responsibility for the situation,” Abdullah told reporters in Baramulla.

Farooq’s statement referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, which vests the authority of police and law and order powers in the LG. Doda town in the Jammu region remained tense for the second consecutive day as thousands of people staged protests in the district against Malik’s arrest. Authorities imposed curfew and snapped internet services across Doda, fearing escalation in protests.

Malik, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator, became the first sitting MLA to be booked under the PSA and shifted to Kathua jail. The arrest stems from a controversy between Malik and Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh over the relocation of a health centre. Malik had publicly accused the DC of corruption and abuse of power on social media in a live-stream video.

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary strongly opposed slapping the PSA against the sitting MLA, calling it “a mockery of the constitution and democracy.”

“He (Mehraj Malik) is a sitting legislator. PSA is meant for anti-national or anti-social elements, not elected representatives. You are not arresting drug smugglers who are destroying our youth, but you jail an MLA? This is unacceptable,” Choudhary said, demanding the LG revoke Malik’s PSA and his release. He also said that deputy commissioners and bureaucrats must “stay away from political issues” and not misuse PSA.

People's Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti alleged Malik’s arrest was meant to “divert attention” from the Hazratbal emblem row, where she said 50 persons were detained and others arrested on the allegation of removing the national emblem.

“Instead of taking action against the Wakf Chairperson or seeking an apology from her, people were booked. And an MLA has been sacrificed to divert attention from the Hazratbal issue, where sentiments were hurt. If the legislator used abusive language, he should have been dealt with under the law, not PSA. This is undemocratic,” Mufti said.

Drawing parallels with protests in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal that toppled governments, Mehbooba said if the same methods are used in J&K “to stifle voices, the situation will spiral out of control as it is happening in Doda where the administration imposed Section 163 of BNS”. Mehbooba appealed to the LG to immediately revoke the PSA against Malik and restore normalcy in Doda.