AAP appeals J&K CM to convene Assembly session, visit Doda in wake of clashes over MLA’s arrest

Srinagar, Sep 12: The AAP appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday to convene an emergency Assembly session and visit Doda to assess the situation in the wake of clashes between protesters and security forces after party MLA Mehraj Malik's arrest under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party also appealed to the people of the Union Territory to raise their voice in support of Malik, the MLA from Doda.

"Our simple appeal to the Jammu and Kashmir government is to convene an emergency Assembly session, ensure that the chief minister visits Doda and personally assesses the ground situation," Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Jammu and Kashmir spokesperson Muddasir Hassan said here.

He said AAP leaders are not being allowed to visit Doda and "even our voices are being silenced as we are not permitted to speak freely to the media".

Hassan also appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to raise their voice in support of Malik, who represents the Doda constituency in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

Condemning the "suppression of democratic voices", the AAP spokesperson said Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and former Delhi minister and the party's Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Imran Hussain were not allowed to talk to reporters here on Thursday.

"This is the dictatorship of the BJP. The voice of the aam aadmi is being crushed to the extent that we are not even allowed to speak, and media houses are being instructed not to cover us," Hassan claimed.

He criticised the slapping of PSA charges on Malik, calling it a "serious question mark on the democracy of our country".

Malik, who won the Doda seat in the 2024 Assembly polls by more than 4,500 votes, was detained on Monday under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order. He was subsequently lodged in the Kathua district jail.