A 63-year-old man, Kamal Singh Jamwal, was arrested for opening fire at former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah at a wedding function in Jammu. The accused had been planning to kill the veteran leader for nearly two decades, calling it his “personal agenda”, officials said.
According to police, Jamwal allegedly fired a shot at Abdullah from point-blank range while the National Conference chief was leaving a marriage function. The shot missed its target after members of Abdullah’s security detail intervened and quickly overpowered the gunman.
Jamwal told the police that he considered himself “lucky to survive” and that the weapon used in the incident was his own, issued to him. Police said the weapon used in the incident was Jamwal’s licensed firearm and ruled out a terror angle.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani were accompanying Abdullah at the time of the attack. CCTV footage from the venue shows the accused approaching Abdullah from behind and pointing a pistol at him from close range before firing a shot.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his father had a “very close shave” and credited the security team with thwarting the attack. A detailed investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances and motive behind the attack.
