MLA Langate Condemns Govt for Denying MP Er Rashid Permission to Attend Cousin’s Funeral

SRINAGAR: Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) senior leader and MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed on Saturday accused the government of “deliberate cruelty” after incarcerated Baramulla MP Er Rashid was denied permission to attend the funeral prayers of his cousin, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, in Handwara.

Addressing mourners at the funeral congregation, Khursheed said it was “a tragedy upon a tragedy” that an elected representative with a “massive public mandate” was not allowed to shoulder the bier of his own brother. He argued that preventing an MP from attending a close relative’s funeral undermined the principles of democracy and constituted “an assault on humanity.”

He said the issue extended beyond Er Rashid, noting that “hundreds of detainees and political prisoners inside and outside Jammu Kashmir” were similarly kept away from major family events, including funerals and weddings, leaving families to suffer alone.

Calling the situation “morally indefensible and legally questionable,” Khursheed urged the Government of India and the judiciary to end the prolonged detention of Er Rashid and other political detainees. He said restoring “humanity, dignity and democratic values” was essential, warning that keeping an elected MP behind bars during moments of public and personal grief “is a stain on any democracy.”

Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.