Jammu and Kashmir’s Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik was detained on Monday under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order in the state’s Doda district. The arrest of Jammu and Kashmir’s lone Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) led to a quarrel between a husband and a wife, a video of which has gone viral on social media.
Fatima Farooq, who is reportedly a local politician and is known for her fiery speeches, was live-streaming and defending Mehraj Malik on Monday evening when she was suddenly interrupted by her husband, turning the live-stream into a debate between the couple.
Fatima was visibly furious over Mehraj Malik’s detention and was defending him in the video, regardless of their political differences. “Everyone knows that I am not Malik’s supporter and I also condemn his derogatory words against the Deputy Commissioner but slapping PSA on him has disheartened everyone, especially the poor,” she is heard saying in the video. Suddenly, her husband walked in and asked her, “Tu kya live kar rahi hai” (what are you doing online) and “Why are you doing this?”
Things get heated after which, the husband seemingly tries to snatch the phone from his wife’s hands in an attempt to stop the live stream and is heard threatening her by saying, “Main teri gardan daba dunga (I’ll strangle you…)”. Following this, Fatima holds her ground, turns the camera towards him and says, “Look, everyone! This is my husband, standing against the truth!” The video is now in wide circulation on social media and has sparked a debate about the challenges of political differences in a marriage.
Mehraj Malik’s detention
Jammu and Kashmir’s Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik was detained on Monday under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order in the state’s Doda district. Malik’s detention was the first time a sitting MLA was taken into custody under the PSA. Public Safety Act is a specific, preventive detention law applicable to Jammu and Kashmir allowing detention without charge or trial for up to two years in some case
AAP Leader Sanjay Singh arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday, however, he was not allowed to participate in a protest. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah condemned Singh’s ‘detention’ and said that this is “not good” for democracy in the state.
“Use of the PSA against MLA (Doda) is wrong. And now you have aggravated the mistake by illegally detaining a Rajya Sabha member. Have you served any order of detention on him?” Abdullah said. “This is not good for democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and the message it sends out also is not good. Those who are doing it should reconsider their actions,” he added.
