All commercial establishments, including banks, in the hilly district of Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, were shuttered on Wednesday as the administration enacted prohibitory orders amid escalating protests following the detention of local MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Malik, the sole MLA from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested earlier this week for allegedly being “a threat to public peace” due to provocative speeches and abusive language on social media.
Sources indicate that despite the Doda Additional Deputy Commissioner’s clarification that the ban specifically targeted gatherings of four or more people under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), many residents interpreted it as a curfew. The order also warned of punitive measures for those who violate it.
In response to the order, vehicles were largely absent from the roads, and educational institutions were closed. The Jammu Kashmir State Board of School Education delayed exams for Classes 10 and 11 that were originally scheduled for Wednesday. AAP MP Sanjay Singh arrived in Jammu following Malik’s detention.
Tensions in Doda rose as numerous protesters marched toward the district headquarters. In response, police used lathi charges and tear gas as demonstrators in Doda and Thathri towns engaged in stone-pelting and attempted to breach police barricades.
Malik is the first sitting legislator in Jammu and Kashmir to be detained under the PSA, which allows authorities to keep individuals in preventive detention without trial if their freedom is believed to pose a risk to public order or state security. Sent to Bhaderwah jail, Malik has been named in 18 FIRs and 16 daily diary reports across various police stations in Doda, with officials alleging that he has increasingly disrupted public order, particularly while the administration works to provide relief to those affected by recent heavy rains and flash floods.
Recently, a video surfaced in which Malik appeared to insult Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh over a proposal to relocate a health sub-center. Malik claimed his recommendations were ignored, whereas the Deputy Commissioner alleged that Malik sought to have the sub-center operate from a building constructed by one of his supporters on state land, expecting monthly rent from the administration.
In May, police had registered an FIR against Malik for purportedly using inappropriate language against a woman doctor at Doda Government Medical College. The doctor accused Malik of utilizing social media to issue threats and make “abusive, gendered, and derogatory remarks” toward her.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jk-doda-protest-mla-mehraj-malik-psa-detention/
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Publish Date: 2025-09-10 12:26:00
