Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 12: The National Conference chief and the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah survived an alleged assassination attempt at a wedding ceremony in Jammu on Wednesday night. The alleged assassin was arrested on the spot, the police said on Thursday.
Initial reports said the accused brandished a pistol and tried to go near the 88-year old veteran politician. He was overpowered by the security personnel guarding the NC president. Eyewitnesses said he opened fire. However, the police have not confirmed it.
The J&K Police, in a statement, said there was “an attempt made on the life of Dr Farooq Abdullah when he was attending a marriage ceremony at Royal Park Greater Kailash, Jammu. The security personnel of J&K Police and NSG, who were deployed with the protectee, immediately swung into action and thwarted the attempt,” the statement read.
The accused taken into custody, has been identified as Kamal Singh, a resident of Purani Mandi, Jammu. “The firearm, used in the crime, has also been recovered from the possession of the accused,” the police and added that further investigation was under way.
“He [the accused] tried to kill Dr Sahib. Allah has been kind and he survived [the attack]. Dr Sahib is fine and in good health,” said Nasir Aslam Wani, NC leader and adviser to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Besides Dr Abdullah and Mr Wani, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary was also present at the event when the accused allegedly opened fire.
The J&K Chief Minister and his son Omar Abdullah said it was only the NC president’s “close protection team that deflected the shot and ensured that the assassination attempt failed.” “My father had a very close shave. The details are sketchy at the moment but what is known is that a man with a loaded pistol was able to get within point-blank range and discharge a shot. 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,” he said in a post on X. Terming the incident a major security lapse, Mr Choudhary said: “One should ask the police how such a big lapse has happened. No one from the local police was present there.”
Dr Abdullah while narrating the assassination attempt on him, said on Thursday that he had heard only a crackling sound and was then rushed to his car when he was attending the marriage ceremony of a party functionary’s daughter. “When I was leaving for home after meeting the bride, I heard a firecracker sound, and it seemed usual since it was a wedding. I didn’t know anything then. I was quickly put in a car and told that a man with a pistol fired two bullets,” recounted the veteran politician.
The attacker has been identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal. He approached Abdullah from behind and took aim at the leader, CCTV visuals showed yesterday. He did pull the trigger, but had been pushed away by the security by then. The bullet missed the target, and Abdullah escaped unhurt.
“One of our security guards pulled his hands, so he got destabilised and his pistol aimed upwards. The guard then got hold of the pistol. That’s so much I have heard after I came home,” he narrated. Jamwal was caught and thrashed after the incident and was taken into custody soon after. Appearing to have no remorse, the 65-year-old attacker later told the police he had been waiting for this moment for 20 years.
Abdullah said he didn’t know Jamwal and wasn’t aware of his motive. “I don’t know what his motive was. I never did anything wrong to anyone. Whoever came to me, when I was the chief minister, I tried to get rid of their problems. I never had hate for anyone in my heart,” he said.
The politician was also all praises about the role of security personnel. “I have no words,” he exclaimed, expressing his gratitude to the local police, security officers, and the NSG commandos deployed for his security. He also recalled that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had dialled him last night after the attempt on his life.
Mr Abdullah said he believe that the cause of the assassination bid on him could be the hatred that was deeply rooted in today’s India and demanded “a thorough inquiry” into the failed attempt. “Atmosphere we live in is filled with hate. The tragedy is that hate is deeply rooted in the country now. The space for those who talk about brotherhood, communal harmony and secularism is shrinking. No religion teaches to inflict harm on anyone,” said Mr Abdullah. On the accused’s statement that he was “planning to kill him for the past 20 years,” Mr Abdullah said, “I have never seen or met him. I don’t know the cause of his rivalry. I have been helpful to all.”
According to the police, the accused’s firearm, which was used in the crime, was recovered from his possession. He told the police that he had “personal motives” to kill Mr Abdullah, without divulging any details. A resident of the old city of Jammu, the accused has no criminal record and owns shops. “Further investigation is ongoing,” the police said.
Cutting across the party lines, J&K leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone, M.Y. Tarigami, Tariq Hameed Karra, Sunil Sharma, Altaf Bukhari and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, condemned the attack and demanded a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, the NC leaders and legislators held a meeting at the party headquarters in Srinagar and “strongly condemned the incident”. The NC legislators, in a joint resolution, demanded “a high-level probe.” They urged the Union Home Minister to personally ensure a thorough investigation.