Man Held for Firing at Wedding Says He Wanted to Kill Farooq Abdullah for 20 Years

A man who was caught on camera attempting to shoot former Farooq Abdullah at a wedding in Jammu on Wednesday told police he had been planning to kill the veteran leader for the past 20 years.

Authorities said they have ruled out a terror angle and added that the accused appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident. The accused, identified as 63-year-old Jammu resident Kamal Singh Jamwal, told investigators that the firearm used in the attack was his licensed weapon. “I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is my own, issued to me,” he reportedly told police, claiming he was “lucky to survive”.

CCTV footage from the wedding venue shows Jamwal approaching Abdullah from behind and pointing a gun at him from close range before firing a shot. The bullet missed its target, and the attacker was immediately overpowered by the former chief minister’s security personnel before he could cause any harm.

According to officials, Abdullah and Surinder Choudhary had attended the function to greet a leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on the occasion of his son’s wedding. They had reportedly been at the venue for over an hour before the firing took place.

Police said Jamwal owns several shops in the old city area of Jammu and earns rental income from them. During questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he had been waiting for an opportunity to carry out the attack.

Deputy CM Escapes Unhurt

Surinder Choudhary, the Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was also present at the venue when the shot was fired and escaped unhurt.

Police seized the pistol used in the incident from the accused, news agency PTI reported. Officials said Jamwal appeared to be under the influence of alcohol during the attack and was also assaulted by some people present at the venue, including party workers.

Eyewitness Account

Rakesh Singh, an eyewitness quoted by PTI, said the firing took place when Abdullah and other guests were leaving the wedding venue.

“Abdullah had dinner with the guests and was on his way out when the gunman suddenly opened fire. Fortunately, he was not hurt,” Singh said, adding that the accused claimed to be the chairman of an unknown group called “Jagran Manch” and appeared to be drunk.

Omar Abdullah Reacts

Responding to the incident, Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and son of Farooq Abdullah, said his father narrowly escaped what appeared to be an assassination attempt.

“Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave. A man with a loaded pistol managed to get within point-blank range and fired a shot. It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot and ensured the attempt failed,” he wrote on X, raising questions about how someone could get so close to a leader under Z+ security.

‘Serious Security Lapse’

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary termed the incident a serious security lapse. “When a former Chief Minister, a Deputy Chief Minister and other senior leaders are present at a function and someone manages to enter with a gun, it raises serious concerns about the security arrangements,” he said.