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| Crush One, Threaten All:Democracy in Jammu & Kashmir on the Brink | |
Tawheed Sheikh
The true strength of a democracy is measured by how it treats those who raise their voice to protect its principles. The detention of Mehraj Malik,Aam Aadmi Party’s sole representative from Doda,Jammu and Kashmir, under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) is more than an isolated disciplinary action,it is a warning shot fired at dissent, representation and the very spirit of democratic engagement.
Let’s be clear: abusive language is unacceptable.Public office demands decorum, restraint and responsibility. A representative who crosses that line must be held accountable within the framework of law and justice. Yet, what we are witnessing in Malik’s case is not a principled pursuit of order but a disproportionate and punitive response designed to intimidate. It is a subtle but deliberate attempt to suppress voices that dare to question authority, especially when those voices come from the grassroots,those closest to the people.
The PSA, originally crafted to stop the smuggling of timber and as a tool against threats to national security, is now being wielded against an elected representative. This is a dangerous conflation of governance and repression.A legislator’s misconduct can and should be addressed through established procedures: investigations, hearings and penalties proportionate to the offense.But invoking preventive detention against someone chosen by the electorate is a betrayal of public trust.It sends a chilling message: speak up at your own peril.
This is not just Mehraj Malik’s story.It is the story of every voter whose voice is filtered through representatives tasked with raising concerns, no matter how uncomfortable they may be.To jail Malik is to jail those constituents who entrusted him with their grievances.It is to criminalize participation,to equate dissent with disorder and to normalize fear as a means of governance.
The episode exposes a larger malaise gripping political life not only in Jammu and Kashmir but across democratic systems increasingly tempted to treat opposition as an inconvenience rather than a necessity.When criticism is branded as insubordination,when laws designed for existential threats are turned against political disagreement, institutions hollow out and democracy begins to suffocate.
We must also ask: what does this say about governance in times of challenge? Relief efforts in flood-hit areas, disputes over public health infrastructure, administrative lapses—these are precisely the spaces where elected representatives must raise uncomfortable questions. If voices like Malik’s are silenced, who will speak for the vulnerable? Who will challenge systemic failures that endanger lives and livelihoods?
Support for Mehraj Malik does not mean blind endorsement of every word or act.It means upholding a principle greater than individual conduct,the principle that dissent, debate and challenge are not threats to democracy but its lifeblood. To allow punitive action to set the precedent is to embolden authoritarian tendencies that ultimately silence the very people democracy seeks to empower.
The irony is sharp: by attempting to discipline one elected official,administration risks alienating an entire community.Fear is not governance,it is submission enforced at gunpoint.True leadership is built not on crushing resistance but on listening to it, engaging with it and strengthening institutions that allow disagreement without collapse.
Mehraj Malik’s detention is therefore a test for us all. Will we tolerate the slow erosion of democratic norms under the guise of law and order? Will we stand by when elected voices are punished instead of heard? Or will we reclaim the fundamental right to question, challenge and to represent?
Democracy is not a certificate,it is a daily struggle.It demands vigilance, courage and compassion.Mehraj Malik’s case should not be remembered as the silencing of a voice but as the moment when citizens and institutions alike must decide whether fear will govern or freedom will endure.
(Tawheed Sheikh is a Political Analyst.He can be reached at [email protected])
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