Jammu, March 28: Legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, irrespective of party affiliation, have strongly condemned the alleged assassination attempt on National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. The members unanimously called for a thorough judicial inquiry into the incident, citing it as a grave security lapse.
The Chenab Times has learned that both treasury and opposition benches described the event as deeply disturbing. Lawmakers also urged authorities to designate the attacker as a terrorist.
Farooq Abdullah, a former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, narrowly escaped harm on March 11. An individual identified as Kamal Singh, 63, a resident of the Purani Mandi area of Jammu, reportedly opened fire at close range as Abdullah was departing a wedding function in the Greater Kailash area. Singh was apprehended by bystanders and subsequently arrested with a revolver in his possession.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have already established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. This team is operating under the supervision of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG).
Upon the assembly’s convening for the day, several National Conference legislators informed Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather of their intention to submit an adjournment motion to discuss the attack on Abdullah. The Speaker, however, facilitated the completion of the question hour before permitting a discussion on the serious matter.
“I have received a notice for an adjournment motion from several NC legislators…It should have been submitted an hour earlier, but given that the issue is of serious concern to all members of the House, I am allowing a discussion without the need for an adjournment motion,” Speaker Rather stated.
Surjit Singh Slathia of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed support for the discussion, acknowledging Abdullah’s prominent standing in the region’s political landscape.
The Chenab Times News Desk