Srinagar, August 16: Once a decorated officer of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 52- year- old Abdul Ahad Jan earned notoriety on Sunday when he hurled a shoe at chief minister Omar Abdullah.
His peers claimed that the suspended policeman was mentally unstable had started “ going downhill a long time before he snapped on Sunday”. Jan lives with his wife and two children in a small house in the Ajas area of Bandipora district in north Kashmir.
Officials said while Jan earned accolades for his heroics in the ’ 90s, he has since “ lost his mental balance”. Jan’s moment of glory came in January 1992 when he rescued a senior officer when the police headquarters in Srinagar was attacked by militants.
“ His brave act caught the seniors’ eye and Jan was promised promotion,” said an officer of the J& K Police, who was also part of the force at that time.
But red tape ensured Jan was never promoted. The policeman finally approached a local court seeking promotion as was promised to him.
“ The case is still in court,” an officer said.
Then, in 1998, his house was burnt down by “ pro- government gunmen”. “ Jan was seeking an out- of- turn promotion but it was not given to him. He was very angry because of this. He would always say he had done so much for the government but his children were still unemployed,” his counsel said.
The final nail in his professional coffin came on May 22, when he was arrested for allegedly harassing locals of the Parimpora area on the outskirts of Srinagar after getting drunk.
He was kept in a lock- up for four days and later suspended for his activities.
A spokesperson of the state police said Jan was mentally unfit. “ He was suspended as a head constable and is facing charges in a criminal case,” the spokesperson added.
——Agencies