Kishtwar (J&K): Security forces recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) from a forested area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday morning, triggering a massive search operation to track down those responsible for the killings. The service weapons of both personnel were also missing, raising suspicions of a possible militant attack.
The deceased have been identified as Rashpal Kumar and Babi Chand, both residents of Kiyar Dachhan in Kishtwar. They were associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and were deployed in the region as part of counter-insurgency operations.
According to officials, the two SPOs went missing on Wednesday afternoon while travelling from Kiyar in the Dachhan area towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah. They were reportedly assigned to relieve personnel deployed at a Temporary Operating Base (TOB) of the Army’s 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Basnan area of Inderwal.
The situation took a serious turn after gunshots were reportedly heard in the Deharna forest area around the time the two personnel went missing. Their mobile phones, which were initially reachable, subsequently became switched off. Disruption of mobile connectivity in the remote forest region further complicated efforts to establish contact with them.
Following their disappearance, a massive joint search operation was launched involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Security teams searched the surrounding forest areas and inaccessible mountainous stretches to trace the missing personnel.
BREAKING
➤ PTI: Bullet-riddled bodies of two missing SPOs found
➤ PTI: 2 missing SPOs found dead in J&K’s Kishtwar
➤ PTI: Weapons of missing SPOs not found
@AnkitBhat09 & @anchoramitaw share more details. https://t.co/cw4FjuvhZS
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Their bodies were eventually recovered early Thursday morning. Preliminary reports indicated that both had sustained bullet injuries, including wounds to the head and other parts of the body. The absence of their service weapons has further strengthened suspicions that the killings could have been linked to militant activity.
Security forces have intensified the cordon-and-search operation in the area to identify and apprehend the suspected assailants. Specialised teams, including personnel equipped with drones and sniffer dogs, have also been deployed to assist the search in the difficult terrain.
Security concerns mount in Kishtwar
The killings have renewed security concerns in the upper reaches of the Chenab Valley, particularly in the remote Dachhan, Marwah and Warwan areas, which have witnessed counter-insurgency operations in recent years.
The densely forested and mountainous terrain of Kishtwar presents significant operational challenges for security forces. Militants are believed to have exploited these difficult geographical conditions to move through remote areas and evade surveillance.
The latest incident also comes amid heightened security concerns following a separate attack in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday, in which three CRPF personnel were injured after suspected militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in the Akhran area near Mir Bazar.
The two incidents within a short span have raised fresh questions about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the vulnerability of security personnel operating in remote and sensitive locations.
While investigators are examining the possibility of militant involvement in the Kishtwar killings, the precise circumstances behind the attack and the identity of the assailants are yet to be officially established.
The recovery of the missing service weapons has added another dimension to the investigation, with security agencies likely to examine whether the attackers deliberately targeted the SPOs to seize their firearms.
The operation to track down those responsible is continuing.
