Who Is Engineer Rashid? Baramulla MP Attacked In Tihar Jail By 'Transgender' Inmates

New Delhi: Jailed MP for Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, was allegedly attacked in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Friday by transgender inmates after an argument. According to reports, Rashid sustained minor injuries in the alleged attack.

Prison authorities denied any reports of a murder conspiracy. Notably, Rashid is currently kept in Jail Number 3 with three transgender inmates, reported India Today. The argument reportedly took place a week ago.

As per Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party, the transgender inmates are “encouraged to provoke, attack and create a hostile environment,” reported NDTV. Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a 2017 terror-funding case.

The Baramulla MP’s party, quoting his lawyer, called it a “miraculous escape”.

Who is Engineer Rashid?

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was born in Langate. He is a Kashmiri separatist at least. In 1978, Rashid joined the People's Conference led by Abdul Ghani Lone. Rashid obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1988 and a diploma in civil engineering two years later. He worked for over a decade as an engineer in the state government-run Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation.

He won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Baramulla constituency, defeating J&K’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Earlier, he was also a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Langate constituency in Handwara.

Rashid is the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party. He was granted interim bail in September to campaign for the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections.