Political parties and leaders across the country have strongly condemned the attack on former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah. A man opened fire from a close range at Farooq Abdullah in Jammu while he was attending a wedding on Wednesday night.
National Conference leaders on Thursday demanded a thorough probe to ascertain how the assailant managed to get so close to the former chief minister, a Z+ security protectee.
They also demanded that the administration enhance Abdullah's security cover and conduct a comprehensive review of security protocols. Under the central protection list, the VIP security cover begins from the highest level of Z-plus (ASL) to Z-plus, followed by Z, Y, Y-plus and X.
The accused, identified as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu, was arrested and told police that he had been waiting for an opportunity to target Abdullah for the past 20 years.
Police are examining Jamwal's background, including his personal, social and possible organisational links, to ascertain the motive behind the firing incident.
The Jammu and Kashmir Congress, which strongly condemned the attack, said "those entrusted with maintaining law and order must be held accountable".
Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee president Tariq Hamid Karra termed the incident shocking and said it raised serious concerns about the prevailing security situation in the region.
"Strongly condemn the shocking firing incident on former CM Farooq Abdullah and other senior leaders. Such acts of violence are deeply disturbing and raise serious concerns about the prevailing security scenario in the region," Karra said in a post on X.
All India Congress general secretary and Congress Legislative Party leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir also condemned the incident, describing such occurrences at public places as unfortunate.
"Such incidents are unfortunate. The security setup should investigate how this happened. The matter needs to be addressed," Mir said.
Similarly, the BJP on Thursday said that "targeting political leaders through violence is unacceptable" and demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
During a meeting of the BJP spokespersons in Jammu and Kashmir, the leaders discussed the incident and expressed serious concern over the attack, said Advocate Sunil Sethi, a party spokesperson.
Addressing the meeting, Sethi said violence has no place in a democratic society and political differences must be addressed through dialogue and constitutional means.
"The BJP firmly opposes such acts and reiterates that the party does not support any activity that threatens peace and democratic functioning," he said.
Party spokesperson Tahir Chowdhary said attempts to harm political leaders undermine democracy and create an atmosphere of fear and instability.
He lauded the prompt action of security personnel in preventing any loss of life.
BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa, who visited the residence of Abdullah to express solidarity, described the incident as condemnable and said Jammu has always been known for peace and communal harmony.
"Such incidents have never had a place in Jammu. Even at the peak of militancy, the region maintained harmony. What has happened now is highly condemnable," he said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also raised concern about the issue and said the violent act of attack deserves condemnation and strict action.
The CM said he wishes Abdullah good health and safety.
