Srinagar witnessed high political drama as police locked the gates of a circuit house to prevent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh from staging a protest and meeting with National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah. The incident unfolded against the backdrop of the detention of AAP's lone J&K legislator, Mehraj Malik, under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Sanjay Singh arrived in Srinagar to protest Malik's detention, but he was allegedly confined to the circuit house, which he described as being turned into a "police camp". Singh claimed this was a "house arrest" ordered by the Lieutenant Governor's (LG) administration. He intended to hold a press conference and a protest at Lal Chowk.

Adding to the drama, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah arrived at the circuit house to support Singh, but police stopped him at the gate. Visuals showed Abdullah being barred from entering the premises. Singh, in an attempt to communicate with Abdullah, climbed the gate of the guest house. He perched on a plastic chair to converse with Abdullah, questioning the police's actions.

Both leaders strongly protested the restrictions and criticized LG Manoj Sinha, accusing him of abusing his authority. Abdullah stated that "an elected government is in power in J&K, but the LG has become a king". He argued that peaceful protest is a constitutional right and questioned the justification for preventing Singh from addressing the press or holding a peaceful demonstration. Abdullah cautioned that undermining constitutional freedoms could trigger instability, referencing political upheavals in Nepal and Bangladesh. He stressed the importance of safeguarding the Constitution and learning from the consequences of its collapse in other nations.

Singh also shared video clips on social media, questioning if the situation was not a "dictatorship". He emphasized that raising one's voice for rights and protesting in a democracy is a constitutional right.

The AAP has strongly condemned the actions, with AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal calling the detention of AAP leaders "BJP's hooliganism" and accusing them of suppressing people's voices. The party criticized the "blatant suppression" of democratic rights, stating that Singh and other AAP leaders were forcibly detained at the Circuit House. They also alleged that the police deliberately prevented them from attending a press conference and a peaceful protest aimed at raising public concerns.

The NC also reacted strongly, with Omar Abdullah slamming the "highhandedness" of the LG administration and calling Singh's detention "illegal". He criticized the government's claim that everything is fine in J&K, stating that the reality is the use of force.

Mehraj Malik was booked under the PSA for allegedly engaging in activities deemed "prejudicial to the maintenance of public order". The AAP has demanded Malik's immediate release and announced it would pursue the matter both politically and legally.