Centre orders probe into Farooq Abdullah attack, questions raised over ‘lapses’, before and after
Farooq is a Z-Plus protectee, entitled to NSG commandos and two-three security wings. As aides claim lack of any security at venue, officers admit “lapses to some extent”
The Centre has initiated an inquiry into the security lapse in the attack on Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday night, when a 63-year-old man armed with a loaded revolver walked right up to the former chief minister at a wedding function and opened fire. Abdullah escaped as Kamal Singh Jamwal missed.
There were several VIPs present at the function, including two with Z-Plus security, Abdullah and J&K Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary.
A Z-Plus protectee is entitled to at least half-a-dozen NSG commandos, apart from two-three security rings including local police and other security personnel, besides a bullet-proof vehicle and escort. Every morning, a Z-plus protectee’s programme, including his movement schedule, is sent to the security wing to ensure that the route to be taken and places mentioned are properly sanitized, and measures like metal detectors and frisking are put in place.
A senior police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted “a security lapse to some extent in respect to the CPT (close protection) and the person (carrying the gun)”.
Addressing media persons at his residence in Jammu, Abdullah, questioned the security measures at the site where the attack happened. “There was no policeman, nor any instrument (such as a metal detector) to check if anyone was carrying a weapon. Even after he (the attacker) was caught, he was sent to the police station in the vehicle of the Deputy CM.”
He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called him to inform that they had ordered an inquiry. “He expressed concern and assured me that he would keep me informed about the progress of the investigation.”
With J&K a Union Territory, several powers are vested with the Central government through the Lieutenant Governor, including security.
LG Manoj Sinha also spoke to Abdullah, and held a meeting with senior police officers in Jammu, including Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Jammu IGP Bhim Sen Tuti, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range DIG Shiv Kumar Sharma and Jammu SSP Joginder Singh.
Sources said Sinha directed the officers to get to the bottom of the incident and guarantee airtight security for the protectees.
While police have ruled out any terror angle, officers said they will probe for any “deep-rooted conspiracy”.
Eyewitnesses have told police that Abdullah along with Choudhary and other senior National Conference leaders reached the wedding venue in Jammu’s Greater Kailash area around 9.15 pm Wednesday.
While Jamwal was present from the groom’s side, the NC leaders were there for the bride, the daughter of senior party leader and advocate D S Chouhan.
The NC group stayed on for nearly 45 minutes, and were leaving when Jamwal opened fire at Abdullah.
Sources said Jamwal was immediately overpowered and the NSG commandos rushed Farooq and Choudhary to a safe location. Jamwal, who has been booked on charges of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act, told police he had been trying to target Abdullah “for 20 years”, and said he held the former CM responsible for “spread of terrorism” in J&K.
NC Jammu province president Rattan Lal Gupta, who was among those with Abdullah, told The Indian Express that information regarding the ex-CM’s schedule for Wednesday had been sent by his personal security in-charge to officials concerned in the morning itself.
Gupta also said that before the Greater Kailash event, Abdullah had attended the wedding of late leader Bodh Raj Bali’s granddaughter in the Satwari area, where the venue had “proper security”. This was unlike Greater Kailash, Gupta said, claiming he didn’t spot a single constable.
Asking how an armed attacker managed to enter the venue and cross three-four security rings to reach right up to Abdullah, Gupta said that even after the incident, there was no one from police to take Jamwal into custody. “Our own people overpowered him and took him to the Gangyal Police Station in the car of the Deputy CM.”
According to Gupta, the chowki officer of the Greater Kailash police post and the Gangyal Police Station SHO arrived at the venue hours later.
While admitting there had been security deficiencies, the police officer quoted above said that the VIPs also bore some responsibility. “On Wednesday, events were going on at nearly a dozen places, involving a lot of VIP movement… VIPs also do not follow security protocols and allow people to come very close to them.”
A senior police officer denied NC leader Gupta’s claim that details regarding Abdullah’s schedule for Wednesday had been shared in the morning.
An officer said that what also has to be borne in mind is that police have to act cautiously at events like weddings, where people can easily take offence. Another officer said that Jamwal, for example, had snuck into the venue along with the baraat, taking advantage of the commotion at the time.
The same officer argued that the incident could not really be called a security lapse, since the NSG and the security team had reacted and detained Jamwal. He may have been taken to the police station in a private vehicle, but he was accompanied by half-a-dozen NSG commandos and an equal number of personnel of both the CRPF and the J&K Police, the officer said.
Apart from this, the officer said, nearly a hundred policemen were deployed along the road and in the area around the venue.
NSG officers in Delhi also stressed that protocol had been adhered to by their personnel. An officer said that while their elite ‘Black Cats’ force provides proximate security to high-risk VIPs such as Abdullah, the NSG offers mobile security during transit and a four-member Close Protection Team (CPT) for indoor venues like banquet halls or convention centres.
“The local police look after the security of the venue,” the officer said.
Abdullah said he had never met or seen Jamwal till party leaders showed him the latter’s photograph. “I do not know what enmity he has with me.”
Advising people to learn from the example of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and J&K which were “trying to save the nation”, Abdullah said: “The problem is that an atmosphere of hatred has been created in the country.”
The NC held a protest and a meeting in Jammu, where a resolution was passed expressing “deep concern and strong outrage” over “the assassination attempt” on Abdullah.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti asked police to find the truth of “this very perturbing security lapse”. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the matter needs to be thoroughly probed.
BJP leader Sunil Sharma said such acts were “unacceptable”.
(with inputs from Mahender Singh Manral in Delhi, Naveed Iqbal in Srinagar)
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The Centre has initiated an inquiry into the security lapse in the attack on Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday night, when a 63-year-old man armed with a loaded revolver walked right up to the former chief minister at a wedding function and opened fire. Abdullah escaped as Kamal Singh Jamwal missed.
There were several VIPs present at the function, including two with Z-Plus security, Abdullah and J&K Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary.
A Z-Plus protectee is entitled to at least half-a-dozen NSG commandos, apart from two-three security rings including local police and other security personnel, besides a bullet-proof vehicle and escort. Every morning, a Z-plus protectee’s programme, including his movement schedule, is sent to the security wing to ensure that the route to be taken and places mentioned are properly sanitized, and measures like metal detectors and frisking are put in place.
A senior police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted “a security lapse to some extent in respect to the CPT (close protection) and the person (carrying the gun)”.
Addressing media persons at his residence in Jammu, Abdullah, questioned the security measures at the site where the attack happened. “There was no policeman, nor any instrument (such as a metal detector) to check if anyone was carrying a weapon. Even after he (the attacker) was caught, he was sent to the police station in the vehicle of the Deputy CM.”
He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called him to inform that they had ordered an inquiry. “He expressed concern and assured me that he would keep me informed about the progress of the investigation.”
With J&K a Union Territory, several powers are vested with the Central government through the Lieutenant Governor, including security.
LG Manoj Sinha also spoke to Abdullah, and held a meeting with senior police officers in Jammu, including Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Jammu IGP Bhim Sen Tuti, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range DIG Shiv Kumar Sharma and Jammu SSP Joginder Singh.
Sources said Sinha directed the officers to get to the bottom of the incident and guarantee airtight security for the protectees.
While police have ruled out any terror angle, officers said they will probe for any “deep-rooted conspiracy”.
Eyewitnesses have told police that Abdullah along with Choudhary and other senior National Conference leaders reached the wedding venue in Jammu’s Greater Kailash area around 9.15 pm Wednesday.
While Jamwal was present from the groom’s side, the NC leaders were there for the bride, the daughter of senior party leader and advocate D S Chouhan.
The NC group stayed on for nearly 45 minutes, and were leaving when Jamwal opened fire at Abdullah.
Sources said Jamwal was immediately overpowered and the NSG commandos rushed Farooq and Choudhary to a safe location. Jamwal, who has been booked on charges of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act, told police he had been trying to target Abdullah “for 20 years”, and said he held the former CM responsible for “spread of terrorism” in J&K.
NC Jammu province president Rattan Lal Gupta, who was among those with Abdullah, told The Indian Express that information regarding the ex-CM’s schedule for Wednesday had been sent by his personal security in-charge to officials concerned in the morning itself.
Gupta also said that before the Greater Kailash event, Abdullah had attended the wedding of late leader Bodh Raj Bali’s granddaughter in the Satwari area, where the venue had “proper security”. This was unlike Greater Kailash, Gupta said, claiming he didn’t spot a single constable.
Asking how an armed attacker managed to enter the venue and cross three-four security rings to reach right up to Abdullah, Gupta said that even after the incident, there was no one from police to take Jamwal into custody. “Our own people overpowered him and took him to the Gangyal Police Station in the car of the Deputy CM.”
According to Gupta, the chowki officer of the Greater Kailash police post and the Gangyal Police Station SHO arrived at the venue hours later.
While admitting there had been security deficiencies, the police officer quoted above said that the VIPs also bore some responsibility. “On Wednesday, events were going on at nearly a dozen places, involving a lot of VIP movement… VIPs also do not follow security protocols and allow people to come very close to them.”
A senior police officer denied NC leader Gupta’s claim that details regarding Abdullah’s schedule for Wednesday had been shared in the morning.
An officer said that what also has to be borne in mind is that police have to act cautiously at events like weddings, where people can easily take offence. Another officer said that Jamwal, for example, had snuck into the venue along with the baraat, taking advantage of the commotion at the time.
The same officer argued that the incident could not really be called a security lapse, since the NSG and the security team had reacted and detained Jamwal. He may have been taken to the police station in a private vehicle, but he was accompanied by half-a-dozen NSG commandos and an equal number of personnel of both the CRPF and the J&K Police, the officer said.
Apart from this, the officer said, nearly a hundred policemen were deployed along the road and in the area around the venue.
NSG officers in Delhi also stressed that protocol had been adhered to by their personnel. An officer said that while their elite ‘Black Cats’ force provides proximate security to high-risk VIPs such as Abdullah, the NSG offers mobile security during transit and a four-member Close Protection Team (CPT) for indoor venues like banquet halls or convention centres.
“The local police look after the security of the venue,” the officer said.
Abdullah said he had never met or seen Jamwal till party leaders showed him the latter’s photograph. “I do not know what enmity he has with me.”
Advising people to learn from the example of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and J&K which were “trying to save the nation”, Abdullah said: “The problem is that an atmosphere of hatred has been created in the country.”
The NC held a protest and a meeting in Jammu, where a resolution was passed expressing “deep concern and strong outrage” over “the assassination attempt” on Abdullah.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti asked police to find the truth of “this very perturbing security lapse”. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the matter needs to be thoroughly probed.
BJP leader Sunil Sharma said such acts were “unacceptable”.
(with inputs from Mahender Singh Manral in Delhi, Naveed Iqbal in Srinagar)
