‘Voice of people is being suppressed’: AAP’s Sanjay Singh, others ‘detained’ in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda
Sanjay Singh’s detention also drew support from other Opposition leaders, such as Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha.
Written by Jatin Anand
New Delhi | Updated: September 11, 2025 07:02 PM IST
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AP leader Sanjay Singh during the party's protest against the detention of its MLA Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), in Jammu (PTI)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Thursday alleged that its senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had been illegally detained in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda along with other party members, including former Delhi minister Imran Hussain.
Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Singh said he had been detained prior to addressing a press conference over the arrest of Mehraj Malik, the AAP’s lone MLA in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, who was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) earlier this week.
“They (police personnel) are just standing like Gandhi ji’s monkeys, and not answering when we ask why we have been placed under house arrest. What can they say anyway? You should ask their bosses who have asked them to do this,” he said.
“As required, we had intimated them about the dharna and the press conference which I was scheduled to address well in advance, but still this has been done,” he also said, adding that the government guest house where he and several local AAP leaders had been placed under lock and key had been “turned into a police camp.”
The AAP leader also posted about the issue on X.
“Dictatorship is at its peak. I am in Srinagar at this moment. Raising our voice for our rights and protesting in a democracy is our constitutional right. Today, there was a press conference and sit-in in Srinagar against the illegal arrest of @MehrajMalikAAP, but the government guest house has been turned into a police camp. I am not being allowed to leave the guest house with @ImranHussaain and companions,” said Singh in a post loosely translated from Hindi.
तानाशाही चरम पर है मैं इस वक़्त श्रीनगर में हूँ। लोकतंत्र में हक़ के लिए आवाज़ उठाना आंदोलन करना हमारा संवैधानिक अधिकार है। आज @MehrajMalikAAP की अवैध गिरफ़्तारी के ख़िलाफ़ श्रीनगर में प्रेस कांफ्रेंस और धरना था लेकिन सरकारी गेस्ट हाउस को पुलिस छावनी बना दिया गया है। मुझे… pic.twitter.com/0rVDXht6UB
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of resorting to “thuggery” when it came to the treatment of Opposition leaders, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal questioned why former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah was not allowed to meet Singh.
“…Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Farooq Abdullah Ji, arrived at the guest house to meet our MP @SanjayAzadSln, but the police did not even let them meet. Sanjay Ji is under house arrest. The voice of the people is being suppressed, opposition leaders are being imprisoned”.
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Singh’s detention also drew support from other Opposition leaders, such as Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. “Sanjay Singh is an MP, a senior leader! Putting him under house arrest in Jammu Kashmir means crossing all limits of dictatorship! Everything is not okay in Jammu Kashmir! Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was also put under house arrest in Kashmir, have the BJP people forgotten? Jai Hind!” said Raut.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha said arresting any public representative without charges was not law but “a repressive strike on democracy”.
Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism.
Expertise
High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including:
The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls.
National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus.
Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities.
National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements.
Academic Credentials:
Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions.
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
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