<p>Srinagar: High drama unfolded in Srinagar on Thursday after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh climbed the gate of a government guest house, alleging he had been confined by police to prevent him from meeting National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah.</p><p>Singh, who arrived in the Valley to protest against the detention of AAP’s lone J&K legislator Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), said he was being subjected to a “house arrest” ordered by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.</p><p>“I have been locked inside when I only wanted to raise my voice for justice. This is an attack on democracy,” Singh said before forcing his way out by scaling the iron gate to reach Abdullah.</p>.Mehraj Malik's detention under PSA unconstitutional, says AAP MP Sanjay Singh.<p>The NC president, who met Singh soon after, hit out at the administration for curbing peaceful political activity. “This is absolutely wrong. In a democracy, protest is a constitutional right. Unfortunately, because J&K is a Union Territory, all powers rest with the LG. But these powers are being misused,” Abdullah told reporters.</p><p>He argued that there was no justification for preventing Singh from addressing a press conference or holding a peaceful protest. “Is it so dangerous if Sanjay Singh speaks? This is not autocratic rule; this country has a Constitution,” Abdullah said.</p><p>Going further, the former chief minister cautioned that undermining constitutional freedoms could trigger instability. Referring to recent political upheavals in South Asia, he said, “The LG has a duty to safeguard the Constitution. If that does not happen, one must learn from what has unfolded in Nepal and Bangladesh.</p>.Will move SC if there is inordinate delay in restoration of statehood to J&K: Farooq Abdullah.<p>In Nepal, the Constitution collapsed and governance broke down. In Bangladesh, the situation is equally volatile. Before such a fire breaks out in our own country, the authorities must respect limits set by the Constitution.”</p><p>The AAP, which has only a nascent presence in Jammu and Kashmir, has made Malik’s detention a flashpoint for its politics in the region. Party leaders in Delhi, including Arvind Kejriwal, have also criticised the move as “unjustified” and “anti-democratic.”</p><p>The J&K police did not immediately respond to Singh’s allegations, but officials maintained that restrictions on political gatherings in parts of Srinagar were linked to law-and-order concerns.</p>
<p>Srinagar: High drama unfolded in Srinagar on Thursday after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh climbed the gate of a government guest house, alleging he had been confined by police to prevent him from meeting National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah.</p><p>Singh, who arrived in the Valley to protest against the detention of AAP’s lone J&K legislator Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), said he was being subjected to a “house arrest” ordered by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.</p><p>“I have been locked inside when I only wanted to raise my voice for justice. This is an attack on democracy,” Singh said before forcing his way out by scaling the iron gate to reach Abdullah.</p>.Mehraj Malik's detention under PSA unconstitutional, says AAP MP Sanjay Singh.<p>The NC president, who met Singh soon after, hit out at the administration for curbing peaceful political activity. “This is absolutely wrong. In a democracy, protest is a constitutional right. Unfortunately, because J&K is a Union Territory, all powers rest with the LG. But these powers are being misused,” Abdullah told reporters.</p><p>He argued that there was no justification for preventing Singh from addressing a press conference or holding a peaceful protest. “Is it so dangerous if Sanjay Singh speaks? This is not autocratic rule; this country has a Constitution,” Abdullah said.</p><p>Going further, the former chief minister cautioned that undermining constitutional freedoms could trigger instability. Referring to recent political upheavals in South Asia, he said, “The LG has a duty to safeguard the Constitution. If that does not happen, one must learn from what has unfolded in Nepal and Bangladesh.</p>.Will move SC if there is inordinate delay in restoration of statehood to J&K: Farooq Abdullah.<p>In Nepal, the Constitution collapsed and governance broke down. In Bangladesh, the situation is equally volatile. Before such a fire breaks out in our own country, the authorities must respect limits set by the Constitution.”</p><p>The AAP, which has only a nascent presence in Jammu and Kashmir, has made Malik’s detention a flashpoint for its politics in the region. Party leaders in Delhi, including Arvind Kejriwal, have also criticised the move as “unjustified” and “anti-democratic.”</p><p>The J&K police did not immediately respond to Singh’s allegations, but officials maintained that restrictions on political gatherings in parts of Srinagar were linked to law-and-order concerns.</p>