“ham parvarish-e-lauh-o-qalam karte raheñgejo dil pe guzartī hai raqam karte raheñge.”
Doda, 11 July — These lines, posted by social activist and AAP leader Owais Choudhary on June 5, moments after being released from jail, encapsulated a growing sentiment in Bhaderwah — that of suppressed voices demanding accountability in public services, particularly healthcare. His arrest earlier that week, following a livestream that showed alleged dysfunction at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Bhaderwah, triggered public discourse across social and political circles.
On June 3, the day of MLA Bhaderwah Daleep Singh Parihar’s visit to the hospital, Choudhary went live on social media from inside the emergency and OPD areas, claiming that patients were waiting unattended while hospital staff accompanied the MLA on an inspection round. He raised serious concerns about the absence of the sole gynaecologist, unavailability of critical specialists, and long-standing infrastructural gaps, including the non-functioning dialysis unit, lack of MRI/CT scan services, and absence of an ophthalmologist and orthopaedic surgeon.
He was detained shortly after, reportedly following a complaint by a female doctor, Dr. Varsha, though police have not confirmed the specifics of the allegations. During his detention, Choudhary alleged that he was pressured to delete several past videos from his phone, including one that exposed the non-functional Jan Aushadhi Kendra — a government initiative intended to offer affordable medicines — which had reportedly been inactive for over three months.
On July 9, in a significant development, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh granted interim relief to Choudhary. Justice Mohd. Yousuf Wani, while hearing the matter, observed that a prima facie case had been made for such relief. The Court stayed the operation of two police notices — No. 609/5-1/PSB dated June 24, 2025, and No. 626/5-1/PSB dated June 28, 2024 — issued by the Station House Officer (SHO), Police Station Bhaderwah. The Court restrained the respondents from causing any illegal harassment to the petitioner and listed the matter for August 22, 2025, with the interim protection to continue unless modified.
The court also issued formal notices to the respondents in both the main petition and interim application, asking for responses within four weeks. Further, the Court allowed Choudhary exemption from submitting certified copies of documents at this stage, subject to producing them later if required.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Nasir Qayoom, in a press conference held the same day as the incident, accused Choudhary of misleading the public and targeting a Hindu female doctor, suggesting communal undertones to the criticism. However, his comments backfired on social media, where users across religious backgrounds dismissed the communal framing and emphasized the genuine healthcare issues that residents face.
One user, Adil Farooq, wrote, “This is not about Hindu or Muslim — it’s about the gynaecologist. I’ve visited four times last week, and she wasn’t there. We also need an anaesthetist. Why isn’t that being raised?”
In fact, the lack of an anaesthetist, raised both by Choudhary and Youth Action Committee (YAC) — a local NGO — was officially addressed only on June 5, when an order dated June 3 surfaced publicly, confirming the posting of an anaesthetist to SDH Bhaderwah by the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu.
The sequence of events — from Choudhary’s arrest to the eventual court relief — has deepened concerns about freedom of expression and political intimidation in the Chenab Valley. AAP has alleged a broader pattern of harassment against its workers, including an alleged assault on leader Sujan Singh’s family in Chiralla, which the party claims was politically motivated and inadequately addressed by the police.
At a press conference in Jammu on June 26, AAP leaders warned that if such tactics continued, the party would be forced to “take to the streets” in protest. Burhan Dar, a youth activist from Kishtwar, echoed the public sentiment, saying, “Raising concerns about healthcare is a civic duty, not a crime… We stand with Owais Choudhary.”
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Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times
