DODA: At least eight police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a Station House Officer were injured in repeated clashes in and around Doda town as protests erupted over the news of arrest and detention of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik under the controversial law J&K Public Safety Act.
On Thursday morning, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh from Delhi claimed to have been put under house arrest along with other supporters of the party in Srinagar Guest House, where he had been staying since Wednesday. He was scheduled to hold a press conference in the Kashmir Press Club premises at 11.00 AM.
Mehraj Malik, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) lone legislator in Jammu and Kashmir, has been detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) after police accused him of disturbing public order.
The 38-year-old MLA from Constituency Doda-52 was taken into custody on September 8 and shifted to Bhaderwah jail, making him a rare sitting legislator in J&K to face preventive detention under the controversial law, which permits incarceration without trial if authorities deem a person a threat to public peace or security.
According to an intimation sent by the District Magistrate of Doda, Harvinder Singh, to the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mehraj Din Malik has been booked under the provisions of the Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978.
The communication, dated September 8, states that the action was taken after “due consideration of all relevant materials, reports and circumstances,” which, according to the administration, established that Malik’s activities were “prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.”
The letter, signed by District Magistrate Harvinder Singh, noted that the legislator’s continuation of such activities posed a “grave threat to peace, public order, and tranquility in the district,” leaving the authorities with no option but to resort to preventive detention under the PSA. The magistrate clarified that the intimation was submitted to the Speaker “for kind information and record, as required.”
What the PSA Dossier Says About Mehraj Malik
According to the dossier submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Doda, and cited in the detention order, Malik has been described as a “history-sheeter of PS Gandoh” who has “become a habitual offender over time, involved in a number of criminal cases registered against him at various police stations across the Union Territory.”
The dossier lists more than 18 FIRs and 16 Daily Diary (DD) reports filed against Malik between 2014 and 2025, ranging from charges of assaulting public servants, unlawful assembly, intimidation, hate speech, and violation of prohibitory orders, to accusations of theft of medicines from a government health centre.
It specifically highlights recent events, noting that despite “multiple legal actions, including FIRs and other preventive measures,” Malik has “neither mended his ways nor shown any inclination to desist from such prejudicial activities. Instead, he openly defies each and every advice rendered to him as an Hon’ble lawmaker.”
The dossier alleges that Malik uses his position as an elected legislator to “assert himself as a self-styled leader, frequently resorting to unlawful means to subdue the government procedures, rules and laws.”
It further says that he makes “irresponsible statements as if law of land does not apply to him being a lawmaker and while doing so, disturbs the public peace and tranquility to get his ill-designs implemented by force, threats and violence.”
A recurring theme in the dossier is Malik’s use of social media. Authorities claim that his “modus operandi includes using social media handles especially ‘Facebook Live’ to mount verbal and derogatory attack on anybody who tries to stand up against his illegal demands and while spreading false information to more than 2 lakh followers… instigates the public, particularly the youth, to indulge in unlawful activities, create law and order problems, and disrupt public life.”
The dossier also accuses Malik of provocative remarks and comparisons with slain militant leaders. It states that he has been “recorded to incite public to burn Govt offices and to act ‘as Lashkars like Burhan Wani’ to get all illegal demands met through force, threats and heckling/physical assault.”
In one of the most serious allegations, the document describes him as “habitual of hurting sentiments of public on multiple occasions and misguiding/provoking youth like terming followers of one particular religion as addicted to liquor or motivating youth to consume Chitta (drugs) to increase Intelligence Quotient (Akkal).”
The authorities argue that such remarks could “benefit evil designs of organisations like militant groups and enemy states to create an environment of mistrust, infighting and pooling illegal gains from drug abuse.”
The dossier also references his alleged remarks against women doctors at Doda Government Medical College. Citing a complaint from the principal of the college, it states that Malik made “repeated derogatory, threatening and misogynistic remarks against lady doctors… threatening to ‘drag and undress them at his will.”
His “irresponsible dictionary,” the order adds, includes phrases such as “muh par thukunga” (will spit on face) and “dalla” (pimp/broker of illegal activities).
On multiple occasions, the dossier says, Malik’s activities “brought to standstill the entire government machinery,” including cleanliness drives, relief work during natural calamities, and emergency medical services.
Summarising its case, the District Magistrate writes that Malik is “determined to transform society into a lawless, muscle-powered community by getting illegal things done through intimidation, force, heckling/physical assault and creating hostage situations.”
His actions, it concludes, represent an “imminent threat to not just the peaceful existence of community life and a rule-based society but is also hindering restoration of public services, distribution of relief material and rebuilding the lives of the affected of the district ".
The District Magistrate noted that in view of Malik’s “regular involvement in anti-social and criminal activities” and his “consistent determination of not correcting himself,” his actions posed a grave threat to society.
The order directed that Mehraj Din Malik be detained under the PSA and lodged at District Jail, Kathua.
The Triggers Behind Arrest
There is a recent history of events that point to how Malik was getting in the crosshairs of the administration, prompting the arrest.
On June 13, 2025, Mehraj Malik, the Legislative Assembly Member from Constituency Doda-52, wrote a letter to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Doda, objecting to the shifting of the Sub-Centre Kencha. Malik alleged that certain officials were siding with vested interests instead of acting on public demand.
“It has come to my notice that even after public resolution and affidavits, some officials in administration are favouring a mafia .......... You are hereby strictly warned don't run mafia in my Constituency and it should be shifted on public demand within 2 days else public will shift themselves to desired place,” Malik stated in the letter.
The health facility had been functioning from the rented house of Mohammad Rafiq, which had developed cracks and sustained further damage during the heavy rainfall of August 26, 2025. Following this, a committee constituted by the Block Medical Officer (BMO) Thathri recommended that the centre be shifted to the house of Abdul Rashid, another resident.
However, the local sources said that the move faced resistance from a rival party, with Malik, the sitting MLA from Doda-52, allegedly intervening in favour of one side.
According to locals, the controversy escalated on September 5, 2025, when legislator Mehraj Malik visited the Ayushman Arogya Mandir Health & Wellness Centre. The facility, which had been operating for nearly 25 years from Mohammad Rafiq’s house, was reportedly shifted to another building at the demand of local residents.
Javid Malik, former Sarpanch of Kencha, defended MLA's actions, saying the unused building needed urgent health services. People repeatedly appealed to relocate the health centre due to building cracks and unpaid rent to the poor laborer owner still in debt.
Despite six public resolutions and 99% villager support for relocating to Ghulam Amin's house, administration moved it to another location with three existing government centres, he said.
On September 6, 2025, Block Medical Officer filed complaint alleging Malik and others committed illegal trespass, stole hospital equipment, and obstructed officials during AAM Centre relocation. They allegedly seized furniture, medical equipment, and records, locking them in an accused person's house.
When senior officials visited, they were also allegedly obstructed, with Malik allegedly threatening staff and demanding different placement contrary to committee recommendations. Officials allege that when the Chief Medical Officer of Doda, the SDPO Gandoh, and the Tehsildar Kahara, visited the spot to resolve the issue, they too were obstructed.
This prompted the filing of FIR No. 90/2025 at Gandoh Police Station, under sections 221 (obstructing a public servant), 329(3) (criminal trespass), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 305(e) (theft), and 191(2) (false information) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Five others were also named in the FIR.
Meraj Malik Contests Claims
Malik, however, publicly contested these claims, alleging corruption and favouritism within the administration. He accused local officials of colluding with what he termed “mafia networks” to benefit certain individuals.
He also pointed out that the administration had not paid rent for the building for last four years, which had functioned as the health centre for the past several years.
A video that surfaced on social media showed Malik allegedly using harsh language against Deputy Commissioner Doda, Harvinder Singh, over the relocation.
In one of the videos, recorded days before the arrest, Malik stated that he knew how to lead his constituents better than any administrator or officer, and that while authorities could try to suppress the oppressed with force, he held the hearts of the people and worked for their welfare.
He criticised the filing of FIRs against him without consulting the legislative assembly speaker and condemned what he described as the selective enforcement of laws.
“Just because I do not have ties with the BJP, it does not mean that on Modi or Amit Shah’s direction, anyone can be labeled a criminal or detained,” he further said.
A few days before his detention, Mehraj Malik posted a cryptic message on his official Facebook page that read, “SAAZ VALLEY KA RAAZ VALLEY. Sab Khulega.” The post immediately caught public attention and stirred speculation across Doda.
Locals and supporters, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the statement hinted at revelations Malik was preparing to make regarding alleged irregularities and misuse of power by certain officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Doda.
“We believe Mehraj Bhai was about to expose some serious wrongdoing that directly affected the people of our region,” said one supporter. Another added, “He always stood for transparency and accountability. This post was a signal that the truth would come out, and that scared the authorities.”
Locals suggest that the timing of the post, combined with Malik’s rising influence and strong grassroots support, may have been a critical factor leading to his preventive detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). An anonymous resident from Doda said, “Mehraj Malik had gathered evidence, voices, and support. The post was a warning that the people’s grievances were going to be laid bare.”
“We knew something big was coming,” one villager said. “He always speaks for the oppressed, the neglected. This was about revealing the truth, and the powers that be didn’t want it.”
The Day Mehraj Was Detained
Waseem Ahmad, close to the AAP leader said that Malik had spent the September 8 night at the Dak Bungalow, a government rest house in the district, after a day of hectic engagements with his supporters. He was scheduled to tour several flood-hit village the following morning to meet families whose homes and fields had been damaged by torrential rains. However, before he could set out on that visit, a police team arrived at the bungalow and took him into custody.
Before being taken to jail, Malik released a video from the Dak Bungalow, claiming he was stopped from reaching out to people in flood-hit areas of his constituency. “Several villages lack road access, food supplies, and shelter after their houses were destroyed, yet I am being held here,” he said.
A widely circulated video captured the dramatic moment of Mehraj Malik’s arrest at the Dak Bungalow in Doda. The footage shows Malik—the AAP J&K President and MLA from Doda East constituency—resisting as police officers physically restrained him, dragging him across the bungalow grounds and bundling him into a waiting police van nearby.
Legal Opinion
Advocate Yawer Ramzan, speaking to Kashmir Times at the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, emphasized that the law on preventive detention is well settled. He stated that such powers must be exercised with utmost care, caution, and restraint and cannot be misused to bypass fundamental penal laws.
He explained that terms like “acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order” require the activities in question to be of such a nature that ordinary laws cannot address them or prevent subversive actions affecting society. There must be a live and proximate link between the grounds for detention and its intended purpose.
He further noted that a careful reading of the enactments governing preventive detention in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir does not indicate any provision—either express or implied—requiring the matter to be referred to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for consent when the detention involves a sitting legislator.
Doda Boils Over MLA’s Detention
The streets of Doda erupted with a rare surge of protest and defiance following the preventive detention of legislator Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). The protests, which erupted a day after Malik was shifted to Kathua Jail, turned into a charged expression of anger, grief, and defiance, with locals calling his arrest a “betrayal of democracy.”
At least eight police personnel were injured in clashes at Dunadi when security forces tried to stop a protest march moving from Bhatyas towards Doda town on Wednesaday, officials said. They added that police responded with teargas shells and dispersal drives as the stone-pelting protesters regrouped multiple times and attempted to move towards Doda.
According to a report by a local newspaper, officials said that a baby girl suffering from pneumonia, who had been referred to Government Medical College (GMC) Doda from the Primary Health Centre in Thathri, died after the vehicle carrying her was stuck in a traffic jam during protests at Pul Doda.
Officials said traffic movement was halted at Pul Doda due to day-long demonstrations by supporters of the Doda MLA at the town’s clock tower. Police resorted to mild lathi-charge several times to disperse the protesters, but they, including women, repeatedly regrouped and continued their agitation, pressing for the immediate release of their leader.
The report further noted that police personnel blocked the roads with barbed wire and used public address systems to urge protesters to vacate the clock tower area, citing the promulgation of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The prohibitory orders empower authorities to issue directions to individuals to halt specific actions or regulate the use of property to prevent harm and maintain public order in situations of perceived immediate threat.
The locals raised slogans such as “Bhai Bhai, Mehraj Bhai!” and “Apka Bhai, Mera Bhai — Mehraj Bhai, Mehraj Bhai!”
For many protesters, Malik’s detention is less about one leader and more about the shrinking space for dissent. Mohammad Ayoub, a retired schoolteacher from Doda, was teary-eyed as he said, “We thought sending an educated young man to the Assembly would mean our voice reached Srinagar and Jammu. If even he can be silenced with PSA, then what chance do we villagers have? Today they have jailed Mehraj, tomorrow they can jail anyone who speaks up.”
Taja Begum, a mother of three, raised her fist as she shouted slogans. Between chants, she said, “Our children fell sick, our women walked miles for medicines, and Mehraj Sahib stood with us. He fought the officials, who only looked after their favourites. For that they call him a threat. The real threat is when the poor are abandoned and silenced.”
The protesters repeatedly stressed that Malik’s arrest was symbolic of something larger.
Abdul Majeed Malik, a shopkeeper from Doda, explained, “When institutions fail us, we turn to our representative. If he is punished for questioning them, it is our defeat as voters. It means the ballot has no value. Democracy is not about sending people to jail when they disagree. We may not all support AAP, but today Mehraj stands for the right to speak without fear. That is why even his critics are on the streets.”
Another protester, said while addressing a small gathering outside the police station, “The law is clear: disagreements between administration and legislators must be resolved through dialogue or in the Assembly. Slapping PSA is a shortcut that damages institutions. It is not Mehraj Malik alone who is in jail, it is the very principle of accountability.”
Through the day, the most emotional appeals came from Malik’s home constituency.
Dozens of young men from Kencha village carried banners reading “Mehraj Is Not a Criminal; He Is Our Brother.” One of them, Ishfaq Ahmed, said while holding back tears, “We saw him livestream the health centre issue because he wanted truth to come out. They call that provocation; we call that transparency. Mehraj is our brother, our leader, and our hope. His jail is our jail.”
Locals of Doda, Kishtwar also alleged that internet services were deliberately slowed down in Malik’s native village of Kahara, where a spontaneous shutdown was observed in several areas. District officials, however, refuted the claim, attributing the “temporary fluctuations” to routine restoration and technical work by service providers.
Protests also took place in Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, and Kishtwar. In Kishtwar, Congress leader Zaffarullah was held for a few hours to stop him from going to Doda.
Political Leaders Condemn Detention of MLA Mehraj Malik Under PSA
The detention of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA) has elicited strong reactions from political leaders across India. Leaders from various parties have termed the action as undemocratic and an abuse of power.
While AAP leader, Sanjay Singh flew to Srinagar but was prevented from addressing a press conference on September 11, Arvind Kejriwal expressed his concern on X, "Is demanding a hospital for the people your area such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown jail for it. Mehraj Malik is the lion of the Aam Aadmi Party."
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the detention and stated, " 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."
National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi criticised the use of PSA, "Invoking the Public Safety Act (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. That is how accountability works in a democracy.”
“The PSA, intended for exceptional cases of grave security threats, has been repeatedly misused in Jammu & Kashmir to detain individuals on vague and arbitrary grounds. 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," Mehdi added.
PDP leader and MLA Pulwama, Waheed Parra expressed his disapproval, "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,".
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