Kamal Singh Jamwal opens fire at wedding attended by Farooq Abdullah in Jammu; security foils assassination attempt. Photos: ANI, X.
An assassination attempt on National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah was foiled on Wednesday after a gunman opened fire outside a marriage hall in the outskirts of Jammu. Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary escaped unhurt in the incident.
According to officials cited by agencies, the attack took place when the leaders were attending a wedding ceremony at the Royal Park marriage hall in the Greater Kailash area of Jammu.
The accused was immediately overpowered by security personnel and taken into custody for questioning.
Police identified the attacker as Kamal Singh Jamwal, son of Ajit Singh and a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu.
In a statement, the police said security personnel deployed with Abdullah reacted swiftly and prevented the attempt on his life.
“An attempt was made on the life of Farooq Abdullah when he was attending a marriage ceremony at the Royal Park in Greater Kailash, Jammu. 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.
Officials said Abdullah and Choudhary had arrived at the venue to congratulate party leader B S Chouhan on the marriage of his son.
Despite being restrained, the attacker managed to fire one shot before he was disarmed and taken into custody. Two police personnel, an inspector and a sub-inspector, played a key role in overpowering him.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also Farooq Abdullah’s son, condemned the attack and questioned how the assailant managed to get so close to a Z+ protected leader.
“Allah is kind. 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 & discharge a shot,” Omar Abdullah wrote on X.
He credited the close protection team for preventing a tragedy.
“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,” he added.
During questioning, Jamwal reportedly told investigators that he had been planning to kill the 88-year-old NC chief for nearly two decades.
The 63-year-old Jammu resident said the weapon used in the attack was his licensed firearm.
“I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is my own, issued to me,” Jamwal told police, adding that he was “lucky to survive.”
He also claimed that he seized the opportunity when Abdullah arrived at the wedding.
“Today, I got the opportunity, but he (Farooq Abdullah) was lucky to survive,” he told investigators after the failed attack.
Police said preliminary investigation indicates there was no terror angle involved in the incident.
Investigators said Jamwal is a businessman who owns a few shops in the old part of Jammu city. He told police that he sustains himself through rental income from these properties.
According to reports, the wedding being attended by senior NC leaders was that of the son of Surjeet Singh, an NC worker. The accused attacker is reportedly Surjeet Singh’s cousin.
Jamwal was reportedly in a drunken state and was beaten by several people present at the venue, including some National Conference workers, after the attempt on Abdullah’s life.
Reports also say that Jamwal is believed to be involved in the mining business, a sector that has recently faced strict curbs by the Jammu and Kashmir Mining Department, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary.
People present at the wedding venue confronted and assaulted the assailant after the shooting attempt, even as Choudhary was seen questioning him during the commotion.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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