New Delhi (India) March 12:Farooq Abdullah, the president of the National Conference and a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, had a narrow escape last night at a wedding party in Jammu when a gunman opened fire on him from behind. The incident occurred as Abdullah was leaving the celebration, and he was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani.

Abdullah Blames Rising Hate in India

In the aftermath, Abdullah expressed his deep concern about the growing hatred in India, calling for a thorough investigation into the attack.
“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.

“To say it was a security lapse would be an overstatement. However, given the vitiated atmosphere, the fact is that the police should have taken precautions. The function was attended by many VVIPs. There was no bandobast of police,” added Mr. Abdullah.

CM Omar Abdullah Questions Security Lapses

"Allah is kind," said Omar Abdullah, Farooq's so n and the current Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who conveyed his distress over the incident, remarking, "My dad had one extremely close shave."
"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 said.

Video Captures Close-Range Attack

The shocking attempt on Abdullah's life was caught on video, showing the assailant, identified as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal from Purani Mandi, Jammu, rushing towards Abdullah and firing at him at close range. Investigators revealed that Jamwal had been harboring intentions to target Abdullah for the past 20 years.

Attacker Held After Police Intervention

The attack took place at the Royal Park venue in Greater Kailash, Jammu. Fortunately, two officers from the J&K Police security team reacted swiftly, overpowering Jamwal and taking him into custody. Authorities later reported that the suspect was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack. The firearm used in the incident has been seized, and further investigations are ongoing.