A large number of supporters from different parts of North Kashmir gathered on Tuesday to bid an emotional farewell to Baramulla Member of Parliament Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, as he returned to Delhi’s Tihar Jail following the expiry of his interim bail granted after the death of his father.
The Awami Itihaad Party(AIP), headed by the jailed MP, claimed that the gathering took place despite an “unprecedented crackdown” on its leadership and workers by the authorities.
The AIP alleged that the administration had placed several AIP leaders and workers under restrictions in an attempt to prevent public gatherings.
“However, emotions overflowed across the entire route from Er Rashid’s native village till Srinagar, where people from all walks of life assembled in large numbers to express solidarity and affection towards the incarcerated MP,” the statement by AIP said.
It claimed that people broke police barriers and restrictions at several places to catch a glimpse of Er Rashid and bid him goodbye.
The AIP claimed that hundreds of supporters were allegedly locked by police inside Middle School Kargama, Gund Kohru, and the Rural Development Complex Langate in an attempt to prevent them from joining the farewell gatherings.
“A curfew-like situation was visible across the entire Mawar and adjoining areas of Handwara since early morning, with heavy police deployment and continuous movement restrictions reported from various locations,” the party said.
Before leaving his residence, Rashid visited the graveyard of his late father, Khazir Mohammad Sheikh. Witnesses said the MP broke down emotionally while offering prayers at his father’s grave.
