Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Mar 12: A day after former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah survived an assassination attempt in Jammu, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday assured him (Dr Farooq) that through probe would be conducted into the incident.
Sources said that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha spoke to the National Conference President Thursday morning and assured him that all the angles will be probed.
The Lieutenant Governor is understood to have told Dr Farooq that “J&K Director General of Police has been asked to leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of the incident and to ensure that action followed swiftly.”
Sources said that senior officials have been instructed to guarantee watertight security to protectees.
Pertinently, Dr Farooq Abdullah survived an assassination attempt at a wedding function in Jammu last night. A man carrying a loaded pistol managed to reach point-blank range and fire a shot. However, the alertness and swift action of the security personnel prevented the assailant from succeeding.
The close protection team of the veteran leader successfully deflected a shot fired at close range by the attacker. The attacker was identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal. He was overpowered by the security personnel and handed over to Police.
While talking to reporters in Jammu Dr Farooq said, “I survived an assassination attempt at a wedding function in Jammu last night by the grace of God, thanking his security personnel and colleagues for saving him from harm.”
Recounting the sequence of events he said, “I had gone to a wedding. When the bride arrived, we took permission from her and left the hall. As soon as I came out and was walking, I heard a sound like a cracker.”
He said, “I thought someone had burst a firecracker because that often happens at weddings. I felt a little heat near me, but I didn’t know what had happened. In the meantime, my security personnel quickly put me inside the car.”
He said his security personnel informed him that the man had fired two bullets from a pistol. “The man fired two bullets. The first one, I don’t know where it went. The second bullet, our security guards tried to pull his hand from behind. He got destabilized and the pistol moved upward. In the meantime, the security guard caught hold of the weapon,” Dr Farooq said.
