Exclusive: Drug addict breaks into Omar Abdullah’s Jammu residence

In what is being seen as a significant security breach, a 21-year-old man allegedly trespassed into the official residence of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday. The office is located on Jammu's Wazarat Road in Jammu, and the incident took place in broad daylight.

Abdullah was in Delhi at the time, meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss a host of issues – restoration of statehood for J&K, finalisation of rules relating to transaction of business between the elected government and the Lt Governor, and rationalisation of reservations.

According to a preliminary assessment, the accused is a drug addict and does not have terror links, nor did he venture into the CM's residence with ill intent. Yet, the incident assumes significance in view of the oft-repeated allegations by the ruling National Conference leaders about laxity by security agencies in providing security cover to Omar and his father Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Former CM Farooq Abdullah, a Z-Plus protectee and president of the NC, survived an assassination attempt on March 11 at a marriage function in Jammu. A 61-year-old resident of Jammu's Purani Mandi area attempted to shoot him with a licensed revolver but failed.

The alleged assailant, Kamal Singh, later told police that he wanted to kill Abdullah for the past 30 years as he held him responsible for militancy in Kashmir. The alleged drug addict who ventured into the CM's home hails from Reasi and was apprehended by personnel of the Special Security Group (SSG), a specialised force meant to protect only the serving chief minister and his immediate family members.

After a brief interrogation, he was handed over to the Gujjar Nagar police post for further questioning. Sharing details of the incident, officials said that the man and a friend came to Jammu on August 3, and the same evening, he was found roaming in an inebriated state by a police party from Gujjar Nagar police post.

The police brought him to the police post and booked him under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The police called the man's parents on the evening of August 3, but they assured the police they would come the next morning because their area was far off.

They arrived on August 4. Since the offence carries a maximum punishment of six months to one year imprisonment and falls in the category of bailable offences, police were set to let the man go. However, before the family could leave the police post, the police in-charge asked his father to bring a local to stand surety that the boy would report to the police post when called.

When the father went to look for a local contact, the man climbed a hillock adjacent to the police post and from there entered the CM's official residence after scaling its rear wall. His movement was soon detected by SSG personnel, who apprehended him.

The man told police that he left the police post fearing his father might not return. Officials said he was booked on charges of trespass and later released on bail.