"If This Isn't Dictatorship...": AAP' Sanjay Singh Slams J&K 'House Arrest'

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh climbed the gate of a guest house in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar to meet National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah Thursday afternon.

Mr Singh, in Srinagar to protest the detention of the party's sole J&K MLA, Mehraj Malik, has accused J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of ordering police to hold him under house arrest.

NC President Farooq Abdullah - whose party is in power in J&K and whose son, Omar Abdullah, is the Chief Minister - condemned attempts to stop Mr Singh from holding his protest, as too did AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal and other opposition leaders, including the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut.

Mr Malik, the MLA from J&K's Doda Assembly seat, has been detained under the Public Safety Act on charges of 'disturbing public order'. This is the first time a sitting lawmaker has been held under this law.

The PSA allows authorities to detain without charge or trial upto two years.

Mr Singh shared visuals of his 'meeting' with Farooq Abdullah.

"It is a very sad thing that Dr Farooq Abdullah ji, who has been Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir many times, came to meet me at the government guest house, upon hearing news of my house arrest by police, but was not allowed to meet me," he said on X.

बहुत दुःख की बात है जम्मू कश्मीर के कई बार मुख्यमंत्री रहे डॉक्टर फारूख अब्दुल्ला जी पुलिस द्वारा मुझे हाउस अरेस्ट किए जाने की ख़बर पाकर मुझसे मिलने सरकारी गेस्ट में आये उन्हें मिलने नहीं दिया गया।
ये तानाशाही नहीं तो और क्या है? pic.twitter.com/MOcNb1heE6

— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) September 11, 2025

"If this is not dictatorship, then what is it?" he asked, sharing a video in which he stands on a chair to peer over the top of a large gate and speak with Farooq Abdullah.

In an earlier post, he alleged Mr Malik was unfairly booked under the Public Safety Act; the AAP MP claimed the action was 'retaliation for raising people's issues in his constituency'.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Farooq Abdullah said not allowing Sanjay Singh his protest is 'absolutely wrong' and that J&K LG Manoj Sinha had misused his powers.

"... right to protest is given by the Constitution of India. The sad part is J&K is a union territory... and the LG has the power. He is using it for the wrong purposes. Was it important to prevent Sanjay Singh from speaking? This is not an autocracy. There is a Constitution here..."

He also made a pointed reference to the unrest and violence in Nepal this week - where Gen Z protesters have clashed with the police and forced KP Sharma Oli to resign as Prime Minister. The Constitution needs to be protected before 'such a fire breaks out in the country', he said.

"The LG also has to protect the Constitution... if he does not, and I regret to say this, he should be afraid of what is happening in Nepal. How did the situation in Nepal deteriorate? Look at the condition of Bangladesh (violent protests last year forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister)... before such a fire breaks in our country, take care of the Constitution," he urged.

With input from agencies

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