Farooq Abdullah Barred From Meeting AAP Leaders In Srinagar

SRINAGAR: In a bizzare turn of events, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and leader of ruling National Conference (NC) Farooq Abdullah was not allowed by the police to meet Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh here on Thursday.

Singh, who was in the Valley to protest the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Din Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), claimed he was placed under house arrest at a government guest house on Srinagar 's Church Lane.

Social media footage showed security personnel preventing Abdullah from entering the guest house to show solidarity.

AAP leaders, including Singh and Delhi MLA Imran Hussain, the party’s Jammu and Kashmir in-charge, alleged they were confined to the guest house with its gates locked and no official explanation provided. They were also denied permission to hold a planned press conference.

“Democracy is under attack here. We’re being detained without cause,” Hussain stated, emphasizing their intent to highlight Malik’s “unjust” detention for advocating for his constituents.

Singh called the authorities’ actions dictatorial, questioning, “Is holding a press conference or protesting the illegal detention of an elected MLA a crime in a democracy?” He noted that Abdullah’s attempt to meet him was blocked, raising concerns about the legality of such restrictions.

The AAP has condemned the incident.

Its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal took to 'X', stating, “The former Chief Minister, father of the current Chief Minister, is barred from meeting Sanjay Singh in his own state? This demands serious scrutiny in a democracy.”

Abdullah, briefly addressing the media, confirmed he was denied entry to meet Singh and called the restrictions “unnecessary,” condemning both Singh’s confinement and the use of PSA against Malik.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also criticized the Lieutenant Governor’s administration for detaining elected representatives. Speaking in Srinagar, he said, “Not everything is well in Jammu and Kashmir. First, an MLA is arrested under PSA, and now a Rajya Sabha member is detained. This is not right.”

He argued that if the administration had issues with Malik, they should have approached the Assembly Speaker instead of invoking the PSA. Offering assistance, he advised Malik’s father to engage a local lawyer experienced in PSA cases, as external legal help might be less effective.

The detention of Doda MLA Malik under the PSA has sparked widespread political debate. Protests against his arrest continued in Doda and surrounding areas, despite stringent security measures and a third consecutive day of internet suspension in the hilly region on Thursday.