J&K Deputy CM Writes To MHA Over ‘Outdated Bulletproof Vehicle, No Jammer’; Police Alleges Security Breach By Choudhary During Nowshera Visit

Days after close escape during assassination attempt on Farooq Abdullah, J&K Security Wing has flagged a security breach during the recent visit of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary to Nowshera. This comes hours after Deputy CM’s office flagged concerns regarding the non-availability of a bullet-resistant vehicle.

Official in J&K Police informed Republic World that Deputy Chief Minister did not travel in a bulletproof vehicle despite repeated requests from the Security Wing. Instead, he reportedly used his personal non-bulletproof Toyota Fortuner during the visit to border villages of Nowshera.

While a letter by Deputy Chief Minister’s office, available with Republic World, reads that a bullet-resistant Fortuner vehicle had been requested to be included in the motorcade for the March 15 visit to the border area, citing the prevailing security situation. However, the vehicle was not provided despite the request being made in advance.

The letter which has also been addressed to Joint Secretary MHA also highlighted that the jammer vehicle has been withdrawn from the Deputy Chief Minister’s motorcade for nearly six months on the pretext of repairs and has not yet been restored.  Sources in Security Wing informed Republic World that allocation of jammers depend upon availability of jammers and threat perception to the individual. “We have a limited number of Jammers available and the allocation is only done on threat assessment; we have many VVIP that are in Jammu region whether local or from outside J&K,” another official added.

It further read that the bulletproof vehicle, pilot and scout vehicles currently deployed in security of Deputy CM are mechanically unreliable, and such issues have previously resulted in serious and near-fatal incidents. The office said repeated requests for reviewing the security arrangements and replacing the existing vehicles have not resulted in corrective action so far.  The communication also referred to the recent firing incident targeting Dr. Farooq Abdullah in Jammu, during which the Deputy Chief Minister was present nearby, emphasizing the need for enhanced security arrangements.  

Expressing displeasure over the delay in addressing the issue, the Deputy Chief Minister’s office has once again urged authorities to immediately review and restore full security cover, including the deployment of a bullet-resistant Fortuner and replacement of old vehicles in the motorcade.