Sheikh Abdul Rashid,better known as Engineer Rashid,is an Indian Politician,and currently member of Lok Sabha representing Baramulla constituency in Jammu and Kashmir,India. He was released on interim bail to do campaigning during the assembly elections.[1]
Rashid obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1988,and a diploma in civil engineering two years later.[5][4] He worked for over a decade as an engineer in the state government-run Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation.[5][6][7][8] He is seen as a simple man,dressed in Khan suit,taking public transportation and occasionally hitching rides on motor cycles.[7]
In the year 2005,Rashid was arrested by the SOG in Srinagar for supporting militants and subsequently jailed for three months and 17 days. He was charged with committing anti-national activities,and was kept in Cargo,Humhama and Raj bagh prisons. Later the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds. According to Rashid he was arrested by a motley group of counter-insurgents that worked closely with the state police,who took him to an interrogation centre,where he was "interrogated." After five months of custody,he negotiated his release,paying ₹1.14lakhs.[14]
In August 2019,he was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on terror funding charges.[15][16] He contested the 2024 parliamentary election from jail and won. However,he remained in jail,and had no opportunity to attend the parliament.
On 1 October 2024,his interim bail,which was earlier until 2 October was further extended by Patiala house court,Delhi until 12 October 2024,allowing him to witness the results of the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election .[19] His bail was again extended till 28 October 2024 and after the interim bail expired he was sent back to jail.[20]
Attacks
On 8 October 2015 Engineer Rashid was assaulted by BJP MLAs inside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly for hosting a party where he served beef on the lawns of the government circuit with a view to oppose the controversial central Government order banning the consumption of beef in India.[21]
He was also attacked with black ink in Press Club New Delhi by BJP cadets a day after his critical comments regarding the lynching of a Kashmiri truck driver in Udhampur.[22][23]
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