JAMMU: An individual was taken into custody after reportedly attempting to attack senior Kashmiri politician Farooq Abdullah during a wedding event in Jammu.
Abdullah, the former chief minister of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), was attending a marriage ceremony at Royal Park in the Greater Kailash area when the suspect allegedly approached him with a pistol.
Security personnel assigned to Abdullah quickly intervened and subdued the man before any harm could be caused. Abdullah, who leads the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and is the father of current CM Omar Abdullah, was under high-level security protection at the time.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the attacker may have fired a shot, although police have not officially confirmed whether any gunfire took place.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and the chief minister’s adviser Nasir Aslam Wani were also present at the event.
Police said in a statement that an attempt was made on Abdullah’s life while he was attending the wedding function. Officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the National Security Guard (NSG) immediately responded and managed to foil the alleged attack.
In a social media post late Wednesday, Omar Abdullah said his father narrowly escaped the incident. He stated that a man carrying a loaded pistol managed to get very close to the former chief minister and fired a shot, but the close protection team deflected the attack and prevented a tragedy.
Omar also raised concerns about how an armed individual was able to get so close to someone protected by a Z+ NSG security cover.
A video shared by Omar Abdullah appears to show Farooq Abdullah walking through a hall when a man approaches from behind, pulls out what looks like a firearm, and points it toward him before security personnel quickly overpower the suspect.
Police identified the accused as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu. Authorities confirmed that the firearm used in the attempt was recovered from him.
Officials said the suspect is a 63-year-old man who reportedly told investigators he had been planning to assassinate Abdullah for around two decades. Jamwal allegedly claimed it was a personal motive and said the weapon used belonged to him.
Authorities said investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Reacting to the development, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed shock over the attack and relief that Abdullah was unharmed. She also urged authorities to thoroughly investigate what she described as a serious security lapse.
