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Mehraj Malik is the first sitting legislator in Jammu and Kashmir to have been detained under the PSA. (File image)
A day after the detention of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday made elaborate security arrangements across Doda district as protests brewed over the action against the legislator.
The Doda MLA’s detention under the stringent PSA has caused anger in his strongholds, but the district administration justified the action against him, claiming he was an “imminent threat” to public peace, and accusing him of spreading misinformation and using abusive language against women.
A crowd gathered at the Kahara and Malikpora areas of Doda, where Malik has considerable influence, and protested against his detention. The protest was later dispersed by the police.
While some officials said the internet was also slowed down to avoid the spread of misinformation, the administration said in a public notice that internet speed in Doda district was experiencing temporary fluctuations due to ongoing restoration and technical work being carried out by service providers. It denied having imposed any restrictions or slowdown on Internet services.
Since Monday evening, following the detention of the Doda MLA, some old videos of his election rallies had been circulating on social media, with many falsely claiming these were protests over his arrest.
According to sources, the police have been deployed in strength at vulnerable places to avoid any trouble. When he was detained, Malik had appealed to the people to come out to protest over the “dictatorial attitude” of the administration.
In a dossier prepared on the invocation of PSA against him, the administration is learnt to have accused him of trying to provoke the public, especially the youth, whenever the administration took lawful action to restore public order. The dossier, sources said, was prepared after seeking inputs from different departments.
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According to sources, the detained AAP MLA has also been accused of openly issuing threats to government officials and trying to incite the public against the administration during Operation Sindoor.
The dossier is also learnt to refer to an FIR registered against him at Doda police station last May following a complaint by a woman who works as a doctor at the Doda Government Medical College.
The dossier claims that Malik did not change his behaviour despite legal action. It also states that Malik’s actions have the potential to alienate the youth from the rule of law.
English (US) ·