New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday in his first reaction after a gunman allegedly tried to assassinate him during a marriage function at point-blank range on Wednesday night said that “God saved me.”
The gunman who attempted to shoot former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday at a wedding at point-blank range told police during the interrogation that he “wanted to kill the veteran leader for 20 years’ and also described the attack as “personal agenda”.
What did Farooq Abdullah say?
While recounting the chilling moment, Abdullah said that, “I am fine and God has saved me,” adding that “at the last minute, he was overpowered by the security personnel, including the NSG. I was immediately put into my car and driven away safely.”
“I went to attend a wedding and while leaving the venue I heard some noise and thought it was a firecracker. Later I was told that a man had fired two shots with a pistol, but security personnel intervened, causing the weapon to point upward and preventing harm. I do not know the attacker or the motive behind the incident,” he added.
“I received the call from Home Minister (Amit Shah) last night and he told me that accused is caught and investigation will be done”, says former J&K Chief Minister.
Where did the incident happen?
The shooting incident happened at a wedding in Jammu’s Hotel Royal Park on Wednesday. According to reports, Farooq Abdullah was attending a lawyer’s wedding with serving Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary in the Greater Kailash area of Jammu when the shooting occurred.
According to the CCTV footage from the wedding shows the gunman approaching Farooq Abdullah from behind and then pointing gun at him at point-blank range from behind. The gunman was immediately overpowered by the security personnel present there and subsequently taken into custody.
The pistol used in the incident has been seized from the possession of the accused, the police said in a statement cited by news agency PTI.
#WATCH | Jammu, J&K: An incident of firing occurred at a function where JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah and Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary were present. One person has been arrested. No injuries have been reported.
CCTV visuals showing the moment when the incident took place. pic.twitter.com/pnoD3f9fRJ— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026
What is the reason of the attack?
The gunman, identified as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal and Jammu resident, told the police that the firearm used by him was his licenced gun.
During the interrogation, Jamwal said, “I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is my own, issued to me.” adding that he was “lucky to survive.”
When a policer asked him why he wanted to kill Abdullah, Jamwal said, “Today I got the chance to kill him but he didn’t he killed, he survived.”
The police officer again asked him the reason of attack, to which he replied, “I had my own mission.”
What did the police say?
The police have ruled out any terror angle in the incident and also said that gunman appeared to be drunk at the time of the matter.
What did Omar Abdullah say?
Taking to X, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “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 the assassination attempt failed. 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,” he added in an X post.
