Jammu: A high-profile wedding celebration in Jammu nearly turned into a tragedy on Wednesday night when a gunman opened fire at National Conference (NC) President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah. The veteran leader, along with J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, narrowly evaded a brush with death in what officials are describing as a major security lapse.

The harrowing incident unfolded at the Royal Park resort in Greater Kailash, Jammu. Dr Abdullah and Deputy CM Choudhary were attending the wedding of the daughter of NC leader BS Chouhan. The duo had been at the venue for over an hour, interacting with guests, when the assailant struck at point-blank range.

According to eyewitnesses and security officials, the gunman managed to discharge a shot before being tackled. Members of Dr Abdullah’s Close Protection Team (CPT) reportedly acted with lightning speed, deflecting the shot and overpowering the attacker before he could fire again.

The assailant: A long-term grudge

The suspect has been identified as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Jammu who reportedly owns shops in the city’s old quarters and lives off rental income. During a chilling police interrogation, Singh, who was reportedly inebriated at the time of the strike, confessed that the assassination attempt was the culmination of a two-decade-long obsession. “I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the last 20 years. It was my personal agenda,” Singh told investigators.

He further revealed that the weapon used was his own licensed firearm. While expressing regret over the failure of his mission, he told police, “Today I got the opportunity, but he was lucky to survive.”

Security under fire

The assassination attempt has sent shockwaves through the Union Territory’s administration, raising harrowing questions about how a gunman with a loaded weapon bypassed security cordons to reach a Z+ NSG-protected individual.

Current J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Farooq’s son, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his relief and demand answers.

“Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave,” Omar Abdullah wrote. “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 the assassination attempt failed.”

The Chief Minister highlighted the gravity of the breach, noting that there are “more questions than answers” regarding how a person under the influence of alcohol and carrying a firearm could get so close to a former CM with the highest level of state protection.

Kamal Singh remains in police custody as investigators probe whether he acted entirely alone or if there were wider lapses in the venue’s security screening. Both Farooq Abdullah and Surinder Choudhary are safe and unharmed, though the incident has prompted an immediate review of security protocols for high-risk public figures in the region.