Rajya Sabha member and AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday got a taste of "freedom" in Kashmir after he was detained at a government guesthouse to prevent him from speaking to the media, forcing visiting former chief minister Farooq Abdullah to converse with him from the other side of a barricade.

Singh's visit coincided with the outrage against the installation of a plaque with the national emblem at the Hazratbal shrine, seen as anti-Islamic. The emblem was vandalised by devotees last week, prompting the administration to detain dozens of people.

The administration is ensuring tight security at Hazratbal as tens of thousands of people are expected to join the Friday prayers at the shrine, marking the culmination of the weeks-long festival celebrating Prophet Mohammad's birthday.

The Doda protests have added to their woes. The authorities deployed a strong contingent of forces in Srinagar city on Thursday, closing down parks to prevent protests by the AAP.

The AAP was one of the major Opposition parties that had defended the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, with its leader Arvind Kejriwal then tweeting that they supported the government on the decision and hoped "this will bring peace and development in the state".

Singh was in Srinagar to express solidarity with AAP's Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, who has been arrested under the Public Safety Act that allows detention without trial up to two years. Singh was scheduled to address a media conference and stage protests.

In a video posted on X, Singh showed the closed gate of the guesthouse with policemen stationed outside. "We are in Srinagar to protest against Mehraj Malik's arrest. But no one is allowed to step out or address the media. Raising our voice is our constitutional right," he said.

While in purported detention, Farooq Abdullah came to meet Singh, but they could speak only through the barricade. Farooq condemned the restrictions, accusing lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha of using his powers for "wrong purposes". The LG's administration has not reacted to the developments.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah said Singh's detention was not a "claim" but a "reality" and said the administration was repeatedly resorting to "unjustified crackdowns" in Jammu and Kashmir.