“Stain on Democracy: MLA Khursheed Says Denying Er Rashid Permission to Attend Cousin’s Funeral Inhuman’
Langate, Nov 22, KNT: Awami Itihaad Party senior leader and MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed on Saturday condemned what he termed an “inhuman and vindictive” decision by authorities to prevent incarcerated MP Baramulla Engineer Rashid from attending the funeral of his cousin Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh. Addressing mourners at the funeral congregation, he said it was a tragedy compounded by another tragedy.
Khursheed said Er Rashid, despite being elected with a massive public mandate, was denied the basic human right to shoulder the bier of his own brother. He said that while India calls itself the world’s largest democracy, an elected Member of Parliament was not permitted to offer funeral prayers for a close family member. He described the decision as deliberate cruelty and an assault on humanity.
He said the pain was not restricted to a single individual, stating that hundreds of detainees and political prisoners inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir face the same suffering. Families grieve alone, he said, while their loved ones remain barred from funerals, weddings and personal tragedies. He added that such practices inflict a collective wound on society.
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Calling the situation morally indefensible and legally questionable, Khursheed urged the Government of India and the judiciary to immediately end what he termed unjust and prolonged detentions. He said democracy, dignity and humanity demand that MP Er Rashid and other political prisoners be released without delay.
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Khursheed said keeping an elected representative behind bars while his constituency and family undergo deep emotional pain is a stain on democratic values. [KNT]
