‘His daughters are crying at home’: Father of incarcerated MLA Mehraj Malik appeals for revocation of PSA

The father of detained MLA Mehraj Malik has appealed for his son’s release, calling his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) ‘undemocratic’ and urging authorities to revoke it.

Malik, the only AAP MLA in Jammu & Kashmir, was detained on September 8, 2025 under PSA by order of the Doda district magistrate. The administration stated the detention was on the grounds that his actions were prejudicial to public order.

“My son was given to the people, now I want him back. His four daughters are crying at home — the youngest is just two and a half years old. Who will take care of them? His mother and wife are also in tears,” he said.

The father demanded the suspension of the Deputy Commissioner and called for independent investigations. “Send CID, CBI, and all agencies, ask our Sikh neighbours, ask the people of our district how my son is. All I request is to revoke the PSA. The district itself is in crisis,” he added

The immediate trigger appears to have been a public clash between Malik and Doda’s Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh. Malik had publicly criticised DC Singh, on social media and live interactions, accusing him of misusing authority, particularly in relation to a dispensary’s unpaid rent and failures in providing relief post floods.

Political leaders including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, former CM Mehbooba Mufti, PDP MLA Waheed Para, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal condemned the detention. Abdullah said Malik is “not a threat to public safety” and called the PSA’s invocation against an elected representative wrong. Kejriwal questioned whether an MLA demanding basic amenities for his constituency should be jailed.

On September 11, senior AAP leaders were detained in Srinagar and prevented from holding a scheduled press conference.

AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and Delhi MLA Imran Hussain, who is also the party’s in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said they were confined to a guest house in Church Lane by the administration and barred from addressing the media.

Mehraj’s detention has sparked protests in Doda. His supporters have held demonstrations, and there have been claims of internet slowdowns in the district, though officials denied any imposed restrictions.

The administration also released a dossier justifying the PSA on grounds that Malik’s conduct had the potential to inflame public unrest and that he had ignored earlier legal notices.