A 63-year-old man arrested for shooting former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah during a wedding in Jammu told police that he had been planning to kill the veteran leader for nearly two decades, calling it his “personal agenda,” officials said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Kamal Singh Jammwal from Jammu, allegedly shot Abdullah at close range while the National Conference president was leaving a wedding in Greater Kailash on Wednesday evening. The bullet missed its target after members of Abdullah’s security guard intervened and quickly overpowered the gunman.
“I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the last 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is mine, it was issued to me,” Jammwal told police, adding that he considered himself “lucky to be alive.”
The police said that the weapon used in the incident was a firearm licensed to Jamwal and ruled out a terrorist angle. Officials also said the defendant appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack.
Shooting at a wedding venue
The accident occurred when Abdullah was leaving the wedding venue after attending the ceremony for more than an hour. Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Surinder Chaudhary and senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani were accompanying him at that time.
Surveillance camera footage from the scene shows the accused approaching Abdullah from behind and pointing a gun at him from a close range before firing a shot. The bullet missed the former prime minister, and security personnel immediately restrained the gunman before he could shoot again.
The police said that the gun used in the incident was recovered, and the accused was arrested.
The leaders escape unharmed
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his father had a “very close shave” and credited the security team with thwarting the attack.
Omar Abdullah said in a post on the
He added that there were “more questions than answers” about how the attacker was able to get close to the Z+-protected former prime minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry, who was present at the scene, described the incident as a serious security lapse and questioned how an armed person could enter an event attended by senior leaders.
The investigation is ongoing
Eyewitnesses said that the shooting occurred while Abdullah and other guests were leaving the place after dinner. The accused was later beaten by some people who were present at the party before security personnel took him away.
Senior police officers rushed to the scene after the incident, and a detailed investigation was opened to determine the circumstances and motives behind the attack, police officials said.
National Conference leaders said Abdullah, Chaudhary and Wani were fine. “Thank God, they are safe and well,” party spokesman Tanveer Sadiq said after speaking to the leaders.
