Jailed Leaders Amritpal Singh, Engineer Rashid To Take Oath As Lok Sabha MPs Today

Jailed activists Amritpal Singh and Engineer Rashid will be sworn in as Khadoor Sahib and Baramulla MPs, respectively, in Delhi today.

Rashid Engineer and Amritpal Singh will take oath as Lok Sabha MPs today.(Photo: PTI)

Jailed activists 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, aka Rashid Engineer, will be taking oath as Members of Parliament in Delhi on Friday. While pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh is being flown to Delhi from Dibrugarh jail in Assam, Rashid will be directly taken from Tihar jail.

Both of them fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from jail and won. The security personnel on and around the Parliament complex will be on high alert due to the development.

Amritpal Singh To Take Oath As Khadoor Sahib MP

Amritpal Singh won the Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Currently held in Assam's Dibrugarh jail along with nine of his associates, Amritpal Singh faces charges under the National Security Act. Singh has been granted a four-day parole to facilitate his swearing-in.

Faridkot MP (independent) Sarbjeet Singh Khalsa earlier said that he wants Amritpal Singh to take oath as his membership to the Lok Sabha ran the risk of getting cancelled.

VIDEO | "We wanted him to take oath, so that he can have his membership as it is only valid for a period of time, otherwise it gets cancelled if one doesn't take oath. After he takes oath, we will think about bail as well," says Independent MP from Faridkot Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa… pic.twitter.com/eeltV2Wb5o

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 3, 2024

Sources within the Punjab Police said that Singh will take the oath in Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s chamber.

Singh's swearing-in comes after the Punjab government's application to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to grant him parole for the same.

"The parole is solely for the purpose of taking the oath. It will be up to four days to accommodate possible weather-related travel disruptions. The parole comes with specific conditions communicated to the Dibrugarh jail superintendent," he added.

Ghansham Thori, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, confirmed, "Singh's parole lasts up to four days starting July 5, with specific conditions communicated to the Dibrugarh Jail Superintendent. He will be flown from Dibrugarh to Delhi and back."

Singh's temporary release was requested under Section 15 of the National Security Act.

Running as an independent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Amritpal Singh secured the Khadoor Sahib seat, defeating Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira by a margin of 1,97,120 votes.

Terror Funding Case Accused Engineer Rashid To Take Oath As Baramulla MP 

Engineer Rashid, a former MLA, won the Baramula seat in Jammu & Kashmir this year. Rashid Engineer is accused in a terror funding case and has been in jail since 2019. Engineer Rashid pulled off a major victory by defeating former J&K CM and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.

Engineer Rashid faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. Rashid was accused of aiding separatists and Pakistanis to stir anti-India sentiments in Kashmir. Rashid, however, claims that there is no evidence against him, except for an old video of his speech. He claims that he delivered the speech as a politician and whatever he said was normal for a person in politics.

Engineer Rashid, too, will be taken to the Speaker's chamber directly and after completion of all formalities, will be taken back to the jail.