Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had a narrow escape on Wednesday when a gunman, identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Purani Mandi, tried to shoot him dead. The president of Purani Mandi Traders Association reportedly claimed that Jamwal had contested elections about 15-20 years ago on a Jammu and Kashmir National Panther Party ticket but lost.
On Thursday, police said the weapon used in the shooting was Jamwal’s licensed firearm and ruled out the terror angle, an HT report said. Officials also said the accused was drunk at the time of the incident during a wedding in Jammu.
Who is Kamal Singh Jamwal?
Aged 63 – Kamal Singh Jamwal is a resident of Purani Mandi, Jammu. He is said to have told investigators that he had been waiting for an opportunity to attack Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years.
Purani Mandi is the central commercial center of Jammu where people come for shopping. Various social and cultural events are also held at this location.
Jamwal owns several shops in Purani Mandi. He frequently traveled to Srinagar, where he was believed to own property, news channel PTI reported.
“As far as we know, he had shops here and his nature seemed normal like any common person. There was nothing unusual about him and nothing like this had ever happened before,” Purani Mandi Traders Association president Ritesh Gupta told PTI.
Gupta said Jamwal had contested elections about 15-20 years ago on a Jammu and Kashmir National Panther Party ticket but lost. He then rented out the shops he owned in the area and largely lived off the rent collected from the merchants.
How Farooq Abdullah escaped the attack
The shooting occurred when Farooq Abdullah along with Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani were leaving a wedding reception at Greater Kailash on the outskirts of Jammu on Wednesday evening (March 11).
CCTV footage from the scene showed the accused approaching Abdullah from behind and pointing a pistol at him at close range before shooting him.
The shot missed the former chief minister and security personnel quickly overpowered the gunman before he could fire again.
What the locals say
The incident shocked local residents, many of whom described Jamwal as a well-behaved person and said they were unable to understand the motive behind the act.
A businessman named Arvind Verma said he has lived and done business in the area for nearly three decades and had never heard anything negative about Jamwal.
“I have been here for 25-30 years and this is the first time I have seen or heard anything like this. When we came to know about it last night, it was very bad. This should not have happened,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
