Srinagar, Oct. 24 -- The nine-day autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly began in Srinagar on Thursday with National Conference and Congress legislators protesting the recent arrest of Doda AAP MLA Mehraj Malik. Malik, who is also the UT Aam Aadmi Party president, was booked under the stringent Public Safety Act and jailed in Kathua on September 8 after an altercation with Doda deputy commissioner Harvinder Singh when a video was shared widely in which Malik allegedly used unparliamentary language over pending dues of a local resident. As speaker Abdul Rahim Rather began the proceedings by reading out the obituary references, NC MLA Hilal Akbar Lone stood up and raised the issue of Malik's arrest. The speaker assured the legislator that the arrest would be discussed in the House. Earlier before the session began, 10 NC and Congress MLAs held a silent protest inside the assembly complex, demanding Malik's release. "Free Mehraj Malik. Respect the vote," read the placards. During this session, there will be six sittings in which 450 questions, 13 private members Bills and 50 resolutions will be discussed. This is the first session of the assembly after the Omar Abdullah government completed its first year in office on October 16. Today's proceedings are devoted to obituary references of leaders who passed away since the last session held in Jammu. The session will also see voting for four Rajya Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. After 10 years, elections for the Rajya Sabha seats will be held in J&K. The ruling party appears comfortable on three seats but the contest for the fourth one is expected to be tough with the BJP as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress have decided to support the NC. Before the start of the session, BJP leaders met to formulate their strategy for the session. A senior BJP leader said that during the session, the party will seek the report card of one year from the present government. The opposition legislators will try to corner the National Conference on its promises, particularly the issue of reservation and the regularisation of services of daily-wagers....