Jammu and Kashmir Police have foiled an alleged attempt to assassinate former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah while he was attending a wedding ceremony in Jammu.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night when a man opened fire at the National Conference leader as he was leaving the function at Royal Park in Greater Kailash, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary.
“The security personnel deployed with the protectee immediately swung into action, thwarted the attempt, and took the accused into custody,” police said. The suspect has been identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, 63, a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu.
Officials said the accused was waiting outside the venue and opened fire when Abdullah stepped out. He managed to fire one shot before security personnel overpowered and disarmed him.
“Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on X.
“It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot and ensured that the assassination attempt failed. There are more questions than answers at the moment, including how someone was able to get this close to a Z+ NSG-protected former chief minister,” he added.
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. It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot & ensured that… https://t.co/hYBe64Eigl
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 11, 2026
According to reports, the accused told police he had been waiting for an opportunity to target Abdullah for the past 20 years.
“Today I got an opportunity, but he was lucky to survive,” he said.
The accused also claimed to be the chairman of a little-known organisation called ‘Jagran Manch’ and said he lives on the rental income from several shops he owns.
Nasir Aslam Wani, Advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, confirmed that no one was injured in the incident and that the accused has been taken into custody. Wani was present at the venue when the firing took place.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary expressed serious concern over the incident and said that security agencies must explain how such a lapse occurred.
“It is a very serious security lapse. When the former chief minister, the deputy chief minister and the advisor are present at a function, and a person is able to enter with a gun, you can imagine what the security arrangements were like,” he said.
