Srinagar, September 11: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Thursday condemned the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), alleging that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is using his powers “for wrong purposes,” and going beyond the Constitution’s limits.
He further warned of a similar situation happening in India if the constitution is not properly “treated” and its limits stretched.
“How did the situation in Nepal deteriorate? Today, the situation is such that their constitution has ended, and there is no government there. Look at the condition of Bangladesh. That is why I request you, before such a fire breaks out in our country, take care of the constitution and do not go beyond its limits,” the JKNC chief told ANI here.
Criticising the LG, who oversees the law and order in the union territory, he said that the LG should be “afraid of what is happening in Nepal.”
“The sad part is that J&K is a UT, and the LG has all the powers. He is using it for the wrong purposes. Was it important to prevent Sanjay Singh from speaking? This is not an autocratic rule. There is a constitution here. The LG also has to protect the constitution, and if he does not protect it, then I regret to say this, he should be afraid of what is happening in Nepal,” he added.
Earlier today, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir police is not allowing him to leave the government guest house to protest against the arrest of fellow party leader Mehraj Malik.
Sharing the visuals on X, Sanjay Singh called the police action “dictatorship”.
“Dictatorship is at its peak. I am in Srinagar at this moment. Raising one’s voice for rights and protesting in a democracy is our constitutional right,” he wrote.
Singh added that the AAP leaders were to hold a protest and a press conference in Srinagar.
The visit came after the detention of Malik, an AAP MLA from the Doda constituency, who was booked under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, on Monday for activities being prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. (ANI)
