JK News Today Editorial
A crisis of sorts has erupted in Doda and its surrounding areas in the wake of the arrest of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under Public Safety Act ( PSA). This is an unfortunate turn of events . An issue that was between an elected MLA and Deputy Commissioner has snowballed into a major law and order situation with competitive narratives making matters worse.
Mehraj Malik , known for use of intemperate language bordering on inflicting humiliation and insults on the authorities and his political opponents , did not do any service to his status of elected representative by using unprintable language against the head of the district administration . He violated of code of conduct in public life . Had he apologized for his misbehavior , things could have been settled then and there itself . But he chose a path of confrontation and the district administration for the reasons best known to it went in for the arrest of the MLA under PSA, a draconian law.
The war of narratives has been set in motion by the political parties . This was a matter between MLA and the administration . It should have been left at that, but some political leaders tried to give it a different colour . Unfortunately , the reactions have the communal overtones . The Chenab Valley from where Mehraj Malik hails is quite a sensitive place .
It would have been better if slamming of PSA could have been avoided, and the administration would have taken up the matter with the legislative assembly . The matters could have been sorted out. There is a rule book and the administration can claim, as it has done too, .that it invoked the rules and booked the MLA under PSA . a little sagacity could have averted the situation in which Doda region is caught today . Politicians are playing their games , but they are perhaps oblivious of the consequences of their words and actions .
AAP, the party to which Mehraj Malik belongs, has taken to streets and staged sit- in protest .The party, however , chose to ignore the inflammatory remarks by the politician that it is defending . It has the option t move the court, but before doing that it should have discussed the matter within and counseled its man that freedom of speech is not limitless. That should have been considered by the other parties too .
The political wisdom suggests that neither chilling free speech is an answer to the neither issue nor all-out denunciation without considering at the basic facts of the case . Immediate and sagacious ways should be found before the situation leaves its long-term imprints on the psyche of the land .
