Kashmir Police Officer hurls shoe at Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR: A week after shoe hurled at Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Barmingham UK,  a shoe hurled at Omar Abdullah after hurling  Indian Flag in Bakshi Stadium. But it's the first time that a member of the security apparatus — his assailant is a head constable with the state police — has launched such an attack. This, when Omar has been demanding that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act be revoked so that the Jammu and Kashmir police can tackle the troubles in the state directly.

The drama unfolded as soon as Omar rose to give his speech. Abdul Ahad Jan (50), who was sitting in the third row of the VIP enclosure at Bakshi stadium along with senior officials and the J&K chief justice, removed his shoe and threw it. The brown shoe sailed over Omar's head. Jan was later taken to Sher-e-Kashmir hospital.

Cops said Jan, who also waved a black flag, was mentally unsound and facing criminal charges. A government statement later said Jan was approached by a political party leader; he used the politician’s entry pass to get in.

An eyewitness said Jan looked uneasy from the beginning. J&K police DG Kuldeep Khoda said Jan was suspended after he was arrested on extortion charges in May. ‘‘He was out on bail,’’ he said, adding that the police would look into the security lapse. Sources said 15 cops were suspended after preliminary investigations.

Jan’s son, Showkat Ahmad, contradicted Khoda, saying his father was a serving cop in Kulgam, south Kashmir. ‘‘He isn’t under suspension,’’ he claimed. He said his father had saved former DGP J N Saxena after he was injured in an attack on police headquarters in 1992. ‘‘Saxena had ordered his out-of-turn promotion, which was never given,’’ he said. ‘‘My father is fighting a court case for implementation of that order.’’

Reports said as soon as the news broke, hundreds of people visited Jan’s house at Ajas in Bandipora district to hail him. One of Jan’s sons was accused of being an over-ground militant worker and jailed briefly. He is now a radio mechanic. Another source said Jan had told his family members before starting for Srinagar in the morning that he would ‘‘teach Omar a lesson’’.

Earlier, in his address, Omar said Prime MinisterManmohan Singh was ready to consider autonomy for the state as a solution. ‘‘But we would like to discuss other options like self-rule and azadi too,’’ he said, and added that the restoration of autonomy could bridge the trust deficit between the Centre and people of the state.