J&K’s lone AAP MLA Mehraj Malik arrested under Public Safety Act for disturbing public order in Doda

This is the first instance of a sitting MLA being detained under the PSA, which allows administrative detention without charge or trial for up to two years in certain cases.

The action came a day after the 37-year-old MLA allegedly used offensive and unparliamentary language against Doda’s Deputy Commissioner, Harvinder Singh, during a dispute over non-payment of rent to a villager by the health department.

A video circulating on social media showed Malik visibly agitated and hurling abuses at the officer.

In a letter to Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, Doda District Magistrate informed that Malik had been booked under the PSA “on grounds of his activities being prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.”

The order noted that the MLA’s conduct posed a “grave threat to peace, public order and tranquillity in the district.”

The decision followed a massive protest by government employees in support of the Deputy Commissioner. Protesters accused Malik of being a “habitual troublemaker” who often abused senior officials, including doctors, and incited public resentment against the administration.

The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit welcomed the move, saying “fragile elements have entered politics and are indulging in abusive and unparliamentary language against public functionaries.”

Malik, known for his controversial remarks, has repeatedly clashed with officials in recent months.

His arrest under the PSA marks a rare and significant escalation in the region’s political landscape.