Firing attempt on Farooq Abdullah in Jammu, accused said ‘was looking for an opportunity for 20 years’

New Delhi: A case of attempt to shoot at former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah during a wedding ceremony in Jammu has come to light. This incident happened when a person present at the function fired at him from very close range, however, due to luck and the promptness of the security personnel, a major accident was averted.

According to the police, the accused was caught on the spot and he is being interrogated. Preliminary investigation has not revealed any terrorist conspiracy. Police say that the attacker appeared to be in an intoxicated state at the time of the incident.

Identification and statement of the accused

Police have identified the attacker as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Jammu. During interrogation, he told that he had been planning this attack for a long time.

He told the police, "I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the last 20 years. This was my personal objective. This weapon is my own, which was issued to me."The accused also said, "Was lucky to survive."

Incident captured in CCTV footage

In the CCTV footage of the wedding ceremony, Kamal Singh Jamwal was seen coming from behind Farooq Abdullah. In the footage, he is seen pointing a gun at them and firing at them from very close range.

However the bullet missed its target. Before he could harm anyone, the security personnel present at the spot immediately controlled him.

The leaders had reached the wedding ceremony. According to officials, Farooq Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary had reached the event to congratulate a National Conference leader on the occasion of his son’s marriage.
It was told that before the firing incident, both the leaders were present at the function for more than an hour.

Occupation and background of the accused

During investigation it also came to light that Kamal Singh Jamwal is the owner of some shops in the old area of ​​Jammu. He told the police that he survives on the rent he receives from his shops.

After the unsuccessful attack on the National Conference chief he told the police, "Today I got a chance, but he (Farooq Abdullah) was lucky to survive."

Deputy Chief Minister also narrowly escaped

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary was also present at the venue at the time of the incident. He also narrowly escaped in this firing incident.

According to the news agency, the police said that the pistol used in the incident has been recovered from the possession of the attacker.

the attacker was drunk

According to the police, the accused was in an intoxicated state at the time of the incident and the effect of alcohol was visible on him. After the attack on Farooq Abdullah, some people present at the spot and National Conference workers also beat him up.

The eyewitness told what happened

According to PTI, eyewitness Rakesh Singh said that the incident happened when Farooq Abdullah was coming out of the function. He said, "Abdullah dined with the guests. When he was leaving the venue, the attacker started firing, but fortunately he did not get hurt. The attacker described himself as the president of an unknown ‘Jagran Manch’ and said that he was drunk."

Omar Abdullah’s reaction

Reacting to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Farooq Abdullah’s son Omar Abdullah said the attack on his father was foiled by security forces.

He wrote on X, "Allah is merciful. My father narrowly escaped death. Details are not clear at this time, but according to the information received, a person came very close with a loaded pistol and opened fire. The security team itself foiled the assassination attempt by stopping the bullet. At present, there are more answers than questions, one of which is how a person with Z+ status came so close to the former Chief Minister protected by the NSG."

Deputy Chief Minister told big lapse in security

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary described the incident as a major lapse in security arrangements. According to PTI, he said, "This is a huge lapse in security. When a former Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and an advisor are present at a function, and if someone can enter with a gun, then you can imagine what the security arrangements would have been like."

According to the police, detailed investigation of the entire matter is going on.