Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt when a gunman opened fire at close range during a wedding function in Jammu…reports Asian Lite News
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah escaped an apparent assassination attempt after a man opened fire at close range while he was attending a wedding function in Jammu on Wednesday night.
According to reports, Abdullah was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary when a gunman fired a shot. Both leaders escaped unhurt.
The incident occurred in the posh Greater Kailash locality of Jammu as Abdullah and the deputy chief minister were leaving a marriage function. The suspect, identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Purani Mandi, had reportedly been waiting outside the venue and approached Abdullah from behind with a pistol.
Security personnel immediately intervened and overpowered the suspect. Officials said Jamwal managed to fire one shot before being disarmed by two members of the security team — an inspector and a sub-inspector — who then took him into custody.
Police later confirmed the arrest and identified the accused.
“The security deployed with the protectee immediately swung into action, thwarted the attempt and took the accused into custody, who was later identified as Kamal Singh, son of Ajit Singh, a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu,” police said in a statement.
Jamwal, who is in his 70s, was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The pistol used in the firing was seized by the police and the suspect was taken for questioning.
Reacting to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed relief that his father had escaped unharmed. “Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave.”
In a post on X, he said details surrounding the incident were still unclear but confirmed that the gunman had managed to get extremely close to the former chief minister.
“It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot & ensured that the assassination attempt failed. There are more questions than answers at the moment including but not limited to how someone was able to get this close to a Z+ NSG protected former CM,” the chief minister said.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary described the incident as a serious security lapse and called for answers from the authorities responsible for the protection arrangements.
“It is a very serious security lapse. When the former chief minister, deputy chief minister and the advisor are present at a function, and if a person can enter inside with a gun, then you can imagine what the security arrangements were like,” he said.
Senior police officials said an investigation had been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding the firing.
Providing details, Superintendent of Police (City South) Ajay Sharma said the incident involved a licensed weapon and that investigators had not found any evidence suggesting a terror link.
“There has been a firing incident using a licensed weapon at a marriage party where ex-CM JK Dr Farooq Abdullah was also present. It falls in JD (jurisdiction) of PS (Police Station) Gangyal. Accused is arrested and detailed investigation is going on. There is no terror angle,” Sharma said in a post on X.
Officials said Abdullah and Choudhary had attended the event to greet party leader B S Chouhan on the occasion of his son’s wedding and had been present at the venue for more than an hour before the incident occurred.
The firing has raised questions over security arrangements at public functions attended by senior political leaders, with authorities now examining how the suspect was able to approach the former chief minister with a weapon despite the presence of security personnel.
