Srinagar, June 2nd :
Despite an unprecedented crackdown on the leadership and workers of Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), thousands of emotional supporters gathered from different parts of North Kashmir to bid a tearful farewell to Member of Parliament from Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, as he left for Delhi.
The administration have 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.
Reports said people broke police barriers and restrictions at several places to catch a glimpse of Er Rashid and bid him goodbye. 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 entire Mawar and adjoining areas of Handwara since early morning, with heavy police deployment and continuous movement restrictions reported from various locations.
According to reports, AIP General Secretary Prince Parveez and several senior leaders including Firdouse Baba, Adv Dawood, Prof Naseer, Adv Shahnawaz Abdullah, former DDC Muzaffar Dar, Mohammad Akbar Rather, Dr Aadil Nazir and Anayat Ahmad Bhat, besides dozens of party workers and activists, were either summoned to police stations or kept under close surveillance to prevent public mobilization. Sources said even after taking a written bond from AIP Pattan Incharge, police detained him again this morning.
Before leaving his residence, Er 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, creating a heart-rending atmosphere as supporters struggled to hold back tears.
Soon after, men, women, elders and youth started accompanying Er Rashid’s cavalcade amid emotional scenes and slogans of support. Women in particular were seen weeping openly while praying for his safety and early return.
Hundreds of people gathered at various locations including Watergam, Azad Gunj Baramulla, Delina, Sangrama, Potkha, Hygam, Palhallan, Pattan, Hanwara, Singpora, Narbal and Lawaypora, where emotional supporters lined the roadsides to bid him goodbye. Many waved from rooftops and shopfronts while others showered prayers and tears upon seeing the MP’s vehicle pass through their areas.
Supporters said the emotional public response reflected the deep bond Er Rashid shares with the masses despite prolonged incarceration and repeated attempts to politically isolate him. Several people were heard saying that “jails can imprison a person but not the love people carry in their hearts.”
The scenes along the route resembled an emotional farewell procession as people continued following the MP’s convoy till the airport, many unable to control their emotions while saying goodbye to a leader they described as “the voice of the oppressed and downtrodden.”