Srinagar, Jan 11: National Conference legislator Tanvir Sadiq on Sunday expressed serious concern over the continued detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, terming the move against the spirit of democracy.

Speaking to reporters while responding to a question on the upcoming Assembly Budget Session, Sadiq said arresting a sitting legislator on what he described as flimsy grounds undermines democratic values and raises serious questions about political functioning.
He said the detention of an elected representative sends a wrong signal and weakens public faith in democratic institutions. Sadiq stressed that lawmakers are answerable to the people and their arrest without strong justification amounts to stifling democratic representation.
The National Conference legislator was referring to the arrest of Mehraj Malik, an Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Doda, who has been booked under the Public Safety Act.
Sadiq said the issue assumes added significance with the Assembly Budget Session approaching, and urged the authorities to respect democratic norms and ensure that elected representatives are allowed to discharge their responsibilities.
He further said that democracy cannot function effectively if voices representing the people are curbed through arrests and detentions, and called for adherence to constitutional principles.