Terming it a “sad day for democracy”, political leaders across the divide in Jammu and Kashmir have condemned the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) sole MLA Mehraj Malik. However, the BJP welcomed the arrest of Malik, alleging he is a “repeat offender”.
On Monday, Malik was booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and sent to Bhaderwah jail for allegedly disturbing public order, as per the J&K police.
Reacting to Malik’s arrest, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X, said, “Is demanding a hospital for the people such a grave crime that an elected MLA has been thrown in jail for it? Mehraj Malik is a lion of the AAP. He will always fight as the voice of the people for their rights. Jail, threats, and conspiracies can never intimidate any soldier of AAP.”
“This is the open dictatorship of the Modi-Shah government, blinded by its hunger for power, where those who raise the voice of the people’s rights are treated as a threat,” said senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia.
Ruling National Conference (NC) leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while calling the PSA a “discredited law”, said, “There is no justification for detaining Mehraj Malik under the PSA. He’s not a threat to ‘public safety’ and 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?”
NC MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said the PSA has become “a tool to silence” people. “Invoking the PSA against MLA Mehraj Malik is unjustifiable. If an elected representative has erred, he must be questioned and dealt with under due process of law,” Ruhullah said. “The PSA, intended for exceptional cases of grave security threats, has been repeatedly misused in J&K… It has effectively become a tool to silence voices. Such misuse erodes public trust in institutions and reduces a legal safeguard into an instrument of suppression. We strongly condemn the use of abusive language by Mehraj Malik, but this is not justice; it is repression.”
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para said laws such as the PSA are “weaponised to silence people”. “Strongly condemn the use of the PSA against MLA Mehraj Malik. Such draconian laws are weaponised to silence political voices and crush dissent. Such authoritarian measures are no way to resolve differences in a democracy,” Para said.
People’s Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone also questioned the conduct of elections “if the will of people is subservient”. “We strongly condemn the use of the PSA against
Mehraj Malik… The will of the people of J&K continues to be subservient. What is the fun of having elections if an elected representative cannot voice his sentiments?” Lone said. “A very sad day for an already endangered democracy.”
CPI(M) leader and five-time MLA M Y Tarigami called Malik’s arrest under the PSA a “draconian step”. “Slapping the PSA on an elected member of the Assembly sets a very wrong precedent. Such a harsh and unjustified measure must be immediately revoked,” Tarigami said.
Independent MLA from Shopian, Advocate Shabir Ahmad Kullay, said Malik’s arrest was a “direct assault on democratic values”. “I strongly condemn the invocation of the PSA against MLA Mehraj Malik. Using such a draconian law against an elected representative is a direct assault on democratic values and the spirit of dissent,” Kullay said. “Disagreement in a democracy must be addressed through dialogue — not repression. I urge the authorities to revoke this unjust action and uphold the constitutional rights of all elected representatives.”
The BJP, however, has welcomed Malik’s detention under the PSA. In a press statement on Monday, party spokesperson Parimoksh Seth said some “fragile elements” have entered politics and are “using abusive and unparliamentary language” against the general public and government functionaries. “These elements not only cause damage to the social fabric of the nation, but also to public sentiments,” he added.
Referring to Malik as a “habitual troublemaker”, with a history of controversial acts including allegedly misbehaving with a woman doctor in May, Seth said the AAP has failed to take action against him.
Sajid Yousuf Shah, the BJP’s co-incharge for media in J&K, said, “I welcome the action under the PSA against Mehraj Malik, a repeat offender who crossed every line of decency from abusing public officials to targeting communities. No place in politics for such divisive elements. Being an MLA doesn’t mean you can overrule the law.”