Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) founder Bhim Singh's son has been removed from a blacklist and issued an emergency visa to attend his mother's funeral after he apologised to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for participating in an anti-government protest in London last year.
Ankit Love (39), who is based in London, was given a three-month emergency visa on Thursday to attend his mother's last rites, which, according to him, will take place on the banks of Devika river in Udhampur district on Friday afternoon.
”I am reaching Jammu tomorrow (Friday) morning to say the final goodbye to my mother,” Love told PTI on the phone from Delhi on his arrival from abroad.
He said he is happy that his apology was considered by the government and he was provided with the visa to perform the last rites of his mother, whose body is lying in a mortuary for the past week.
Earlier, Love shared a copy of his visa on Facebook with the message, "Thank you India for taking me off the blacklist so that I may go and attend my mother's funeral. God bless".
The only son of JKNPP founder Bhim Singh has apologised to Prime Minister Modi for participating in an anti-government protest in February last year that led to him being blacklisted by the high commission.
In an open letter to the prime minister, Love said that he regrets throwing eggs and stones at the high commission during the February 2022 protest and requested the prime minister to intervene so that he could return and perform the funeral of his mother Jay Mala (64).
Mala, a Supreme Court lawyer, died on April 26 and her body has been kept at the mortuary of Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu after Love requested it be kept there till he returns to perform the last rites.
This comes even as his relatives are engaged in a tussle to take control of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), which has been in disarray following Bhim Singh's death on May 31, 2022. Love could not attend his father's funeral as well.
"Praise Shiva! Mom, I will be there tomorrow! Promise. Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone for your loving support to get me back home for my mom's funeral. Peace & #Love ProfBhim Singh," he said in another post on Facebook.
According to Love, he was blacklisted by India after the British police arrested him following a protest outside the Indian high commission in London on February 14, 2022.
In the open letter to the prime minister on Tuesday, Love said he deeply and sincerely regrets his actions and apologises for his mistake of throwing eggs and stones at the high commission.
"I will be deeply thankful if you could kindly forgive me and allow me to visit Jammu to perform the last rites of my mother -- I need to reach Jammu urgently as everyone is waiting for my arrival to perform the last rites," he said, adding it was also the wish of his mother.
Mentioning the Indian high commission's denial of approval for his travel, he said, "I assure you that henceforth there will be no such act by me against my nation which I love very much and am very much proud of."
