Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 12 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday labelled the attack against his father, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah, as an assassination attempt, and questioned how the attacker managed to get so close despite the former CM being under Z+ security cover by the National Security Guard (NSG).
Raising concerns over the attack, the Jammu and Kashmir CM said that Farooq Abdullah had a very close shave after a man with a loaded pistol attempted to shoot him at a marriage party in Jammu's Royal Park in the Greater Kailash area, with the close protection team deflecting the shot and foiling the assassination attempt.
"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 asked to get within range to discharge shot. It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot & ensured that the assassination attempt was foiled. 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," Omar Abdullah posted on X.
Nasir Aslam Wani, Advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir CM, confirmed that no one was injured in the incident and the accused has been taken into custody. He was present at the location when the firing incident occurred.
When asked if anyone was injured in the incident, Wani told reporters, "No, it's nothing like that. Allah has been very kind."
Regarding police arrangements, he said it was too early to comment on anything. "They (police) should check. It is too early to comment on anything," Wani said, confirming that the accused had been detained.
"He (accused) has been taken into custody for now. This is just the start. When the investigation is complete, we will know what it was and what he was looking for," he said, adding that Farooq Abdullah was absolutely fine and was currently taking rest.
"He (Farooq Abdullah) is absolutely fine. He is currently taking some rest," Wani said.
The Jammu and Kashmir police said that an attempt was made on the life of Farooq Abdullah.
According to the police, the security personnel of NSG, who were deployed with the protectee, immediately swung into action and thwarted the attempt. The accused, identified as Kamal Singh, was taken into custody. The accused is a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu.
The firearm, used in the crime, has also been recovered from the possession of the accused, police said, adding that cognizance has been taken and further investigation is ongoing.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, who was also present at the incident spot, also confirmed earlier that no one was injured in the incident but questioned the security lapse.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu zone reached Gangyal Police station were the arrested person who fired shots on Farooq Abdullah has been taken into custody.
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