Former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik ‘detained’, say supporters. Delhi Police say ‘he came on his own’

Police say Malik had decided to host lunch at local park for his supporters but didn't have required permissions. This comes after he was summoned by CBI in ongoing corruption probe.

File photo of Satyapal Malik | ANI

New Delhi: A day after he was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged insurance scam, former Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Saturday went to southwest Delhi’s RK Puram police station after he was refused permission to hold a meeting with his supporters.

While media reports quoted supporters as saying Malik had been detained at the police station, a senior officer denied them.

 “We have not detained former Governor Satyapal Malik or his supporters. Malik has come to RK Puram police station himself and we have informed him that he can leave at his own will,” the officer told ThePrint. 

According to the police, Malik was scheduled to meet a few of his supporters, including some farm leaders and khap panchayat leaders from Punjab and Haryana at his Som Vihar residence Saturday. Malik decided to host their lunch at a local park but was told not to because no permission was sought in advance, police said. 

Malik’s supporters, however, claim there were “arrests” — they released videos of them purportedly in a bus under detention, The Indian Express said in a report. 

Malik also told reporters outside the police station that the police “will not arrest us now”. 

 The development comes a day after CBI summoned Malik in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged improprieties in connection with Reliance General Insurance’s    ‘J&K Employees Healthcare Insurance Scheme’. 

In October 2021, Malik had claimed that he was offered a bribe of Rs 300 crore for clearing two files during his tenure as J&K governor between 23 August 2018 and 30 October 2019.  

Among the two files, Malik claimed, was a group medical insurance scheme for government employees, and a contract for civil work worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in J&K’s Kishtwar district.

He was summoned days after Malik gave an interview to two web channels criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the current government on several issues, including the 2019 Pulwama attack and bifurcation of the erstwhile J&K state.