‘Feel ashamed’: Purani Mandi residents condemn attack on Farooq Abdullah

JAMMU: The residents and traders of the Purani Mandi area here on Thursday condemned the attack on Farooq Abdullah, saying the incident has brought shame to the entire locality.

Abdullah, 88, had a narrow escape when a gunman allegedly opened fire at him from behind while he was leaving a marriage function at Greater Kailash on the outskirts of Jammu on Wednesday night, officials said.

Police arrested the accused, Kamal Singh Jamwal, 63, a resident of Purani Mandi, who reportedly told investigators that he had been waiting for an opportunity to target Abdullah for the past 20 years.

“We are ashamed that such a thing has happened. These things should not occur. If someone has any dispute or grievance with anyone, there are courts, and their doors are open. The matter should be taken there, not brought onto the roads or handled in such a manner,” President of the Purani Mandi Traders Association Ritesh Gupta said.

Gupta said that the area has long been known as a strong business centre of Jammu, where people come for shopping and various social and cultural activities take place.

“Such acts involving a person from this locality should not happen,” he said.

“People were unaware of the mindset behind the act. Whatever happened was wrong. Taking someone’s life is a matter of law. If someone has a problem, they should approach the legal system. There are courts and the police. These kinds of incidents should not happen,” Gupta asserted.

The incident has shocked the locals, many of whom described Jamwal as a well-behaved person and said they were unable to understand the motive behind the act.

Gupta said it was too early to say whether the act was meant to defame the locality or whether there was any conspiracy behind it.

“From what we know, he had shops here, and his nature appeared normal, just like any ordinary person. There was nothing unusual about him, and there had never been any such issue earlier,” he added.

According to Gupta, Jamwal used to frequently travel to Srinagar and was believed to own property there.

“He used to travel often to Srinagar, and we have heard he had considerable property there. What exactly the issue is or was, only he himself can explain that,” he said, adding that the matter was being discussed as possibly going back nearly two decades.

The association head also claimed that Jamwal had contested elections about 15-20 years ago on a ticket from the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party but had lost.

“After that, the shops he owns here were rented out, and he mostly collected rent from the shopkeepers,” he said.

Another businessman, Arvind Verma, said he had been living and doing business in the area for nearly three decades and had never heard anything negative about Jamwal.

“I have been here for 25-30 years and this is the first time I have seen or heard of such a thing. When we came to know about it last night, it felt very wrong. This should not have happened,” he said.

Verma said it is unfortunate how a weapon went inside the function.

“As far as Farooq Abdullah is concerned, he has served as a chief minister and has been elected by the people. Such incidents, like shooting someone, should not happen,” he said.

He added that according to traders and residents, Abdullah used to move around like any other person in the locality and had never been involved in any disputes.

Tensions prevailed in the area with security beefed up since morning, residents said, while many locals raised questions over how the weapon allegedly used in the attack was taken inside the marriage function venue. (PTI)