MLA Doda’s arrest fallout: AAP protest foiled, Dr Farooq barred from meeting MP Sanjay Singh
Srinagar, Sep 11: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday foiled a protest march of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Srinagar against the detention of MLA Doda Mehraj Malik who has been booked under PSA by the district administration Doda.
Following the detention of MLA Malik, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh along with other party leaders arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday and were scheduled to take out a protest in the Press Enclave on Residency Road and also address the media at Press Club of Kashmir.
The AAP leaders were putting up at Circuit House since Wednesday evening and were not allowed to move out and protest against the detention of MLA Doda. As the AAP leaders tried to move out towards the Press Enclave, the gates of Circuit House were closed and the J&K Police personnel deployed outside did not allow the AAP leaders to come out.
In wake of this, AAP MP Sanjay Singh in his video message informed the public that they were not allowed to come out of Circuit House Srinagar. He said that raising voice was the constitutional and democratic right.
"Today, we were scheduled to stage a protest against the arrest of Mehraj Malik and would address the media as well. But a huge deployment of Police has been made outside the gate and we are not allowed to move outside. This is the height of dictatorship here," he said. He said that they were not even informed about the reason of keeping them confined inside the circuit house
He questioned the administration saying that holding press conferences and a sit in was a crime in democracy. “The height of dictatorship is that the administration is not ready to tell even a Rajya Sabha member the reason for stopping us. Is it a crime to raise voice against illegal arrest of MLA," he asked.
MLA Doda was detained on Monday and booked under PSA for "disturbing the public order." Besides keeping AAP leaders locked inside, the authorities did not allow the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah to meet AAP MP Sanjay Singh.
As the National Conference President reached the Circuit House gate, the Police deployed there did not allow him to meet AAP MP Sanjay Singh. In a video, Dr Farooq Abdullah was heard telling Sanjay Singh about “state of affairs” in J&K, despite having an elected government in place. “This is the situation here. We have an elected government in place here but LG seems to own it. The nation must be made aware of this situation,” he said. He said that the AAP MP “had not come to pelt stones” and asked the police personnel to allow him to meet the AAP leader.
“A man wants to talk within the Constitution but he is not allowed, Sanjay Singh has been my companion in the Parliament for six years. At least allow me to meet him," he said. In the video, Singh was seen climbing the gate to have a glimpse of Dr Farooq Abdullah outside the gate. "What is your problem in allowing a three time CM to meet an MP. Why don't you allow us to meet," Singh lamented.
