Out on parole, Amritpal Singh, Sheikh Abdul Rashid take oath as MPs

New Delhi, July 5

Jailed radical Amritpal Singh (31) and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid (56), who were granted parole to take oath as members of the Lok Sabha, were sworn in as MPs on Friday amid heavy security presence in and around the Parliament complex.

Amritpal’s mother says He’s Not pro-Khalistan

Chandigarh: Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur has sought her son’s release and said he is “not a Khalistan supporter”. “By speaking about Punjab’s rights and saving youth (from drugs), can anyone become a Khalistan supporter?” she said, adding “he fought the poll within Constitution’s ambit and has now taken oath”. PTI

Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, was lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in a terror-funding case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, while Amritpal was kept at a Dibrugarh prison in Assam for offences under the National Security Act.

They were brought to Parliament by security personnel this morning. The MPs-elect took oath in the chamber of the Lok Sabha Speaker after completing formalities. Amritpal and Rashid won the recent Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, as Independents while being incarcerated. They could not take oath as members of the 18th Lok Sabha on June 24 and 25 along with the other winning candidates. Rashid was granted a two-hour custody parole, excluding the travel time from Tihar to Parliament, while Amritpal got a four-day custody parole, beginning July 5 in view of travel from Assam to Delhi and back, to take oath. Parole orders prohibited them from speaking to or addressing the media on any issue or making any statements during their period of temporary release. Their family members also couldn’t make a statement in any form to the media.