Row erupts as AAP's lone J&K MLA held under PSA

The lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehraj Malik, was detained on Monday under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district of the Union Territory, with the action drawing sharp criticism from J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, who said that a "discredited law" was being used to detain Malik.

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The 37-year-old AAP legislator from Doda and chief of the party's J&K unit was detained by police on Monday morning at Dak Bungalow as he prepared to visit flood-affected areas of his constituency, officials said.

This is the first time a sitting legislator in the country has been held under the stringent PSA, which allows detention without charge or trial for up to two years.

Criticising the move, the CM said Malik is "not a threat to public safety" and using a "discredited law to detain him is wrong".