Jammu, Sept. 8 -- Jammu and Kashmir AAP chief and MLA Mehraj Malik was on Monday detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing
public order in Doda district, officials said.
This is for the first time that a sitting MLA has been taken into custody under the PSA, an administrative law that allows detention without charge or trial for up to two years in some cases.
Earlier during the day, the 37-year-old AAP MLA was detained by police at Dak Bungalow while he was planning to visit flood-hit areas of his constituency, the officials said.
He was later shifted to Bhaderwah district jail under the PSA on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner of Doda, Harvinder Singh, after police prepared a dossier against him, they said.
The action against Malik, who has often courted controversies with his statements, comes amid a massive protest by government employees who came out in support of the deputy commissioner after Malik used a social media platform to launch a disparaging campaign against him.
The protesting employees accused the MLA of "habitually" hurling abuses at senior government officers, including doctors, and
provoking youths against the official machinery.
In a statement, the protesting employees lauded the deputy commissioner for his "exceptional service, integrity and dedication to public welfare", and said his compassionate approach has made him a "beacon of hope" for the residents of Doda in general and the flood-affected population in particular.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.