• Police suspect ambush while personnel were heading to relieve colleagues at remote post
• DGP Nalin Prabhat visits area as Army, police and CRPF launch joint search operation
Srinagar|Nov, 12: Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, who had gone missing while on duty in the remote Dachhan-Marwah belt of Kishtwar district, were found shot dead in a forested area on Thursday, triggering a massive search operation involving the Army, police and paramilitary forces.
The bodies of Rashpal Kumar (40) and Babi Chand (57), both bearing gunshot wounds, were recovered from the Dherna Top area after security agencies launched a search following their disappearance. Their service rifles were also missing, raising suspicion that the attackers had taken away the weapons after the killings.
According to officials, preliminary investigations suggest the two SPOs may have been ambushed while travelling through the difficult mountainous terrain towards Dherna post to relieve personnel stationed there.
Sources said one of the SPOs had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, while the other was found with a bullet injury to the back. Investigators are examining the circumstances in which the two personnel went missing and whether the attackers had prior knowledge of their movement.
The two SPOs were reportedly on patrol duty alongside Army personnel before they went missing. Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were subsequently found switched off, prompting security agencies to launch a search.
Their bodies were later traced by search teams in the Dherna Top area. Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar said the bodies were recovered at around 8 am and 9 am, respectively.
The disappearance of their service weapons, an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, has added another dimension to the investigation, with security agencies seeking to establish whether the weapons were taken by the assailants.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat reached Kishtwar following the recovery of the bodies and reviewed the situation with senior Army and police officers.
A joint cordon-and-search operation involving the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group and the Central Reserve Police Force was launched across the surrounding forested stretches.
Security personnel have deployed sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters to search the rugged terrain and locate those responsible for the killings. The operation is also aimed at recovering the missing rifles.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the security challenges posed by the remote and heavily forested areas of Kishtwar, where difficult terrain and limited road connectivity complicate surveillance and security operations.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killings and expressed grief over the deaths of the two SPOs. He conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for strength for them to bear the loss.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma described the incident as extremely unfortunate and claimed that remnants of the terror-supporting network continued to operate in the region.
“Peace is gradually being established in Jammu and Kashmir, yet frustrated elements—frustrated terrorists—carry out such acts just to signal their presence,” Sharma said.
He alleged that the two SPOs had been abducted while travelling through dense forest between Dherna and Kiad, and maintained that the old terror-supporting network had not been completely dismantled.
Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar also condemned the killings and demanded swift action against those responsible. Alleging that Pakistan continued to pursue attempts to destabilise the region, she urged the Union Home Minister to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.
The deaths come less than a month after another SPO, Bashir Ahmed, was found dead near his residence at WaniporaTrigam on October 16. Ahmed, who was posted at Pedil Police Post, had gone missing while returning home from duty with his service rifle and magazine.
Police subsequently established that Ahmed had been murdered by relatives following a land dispute, making that case unrelated to any established militant attack.
In Thursday’s incident, however, the gunshot injuries, circumstances of disappearance and missing service weapons have led investigators to examine the possibility of a targeted attack.
Security forces continued combing the surrounding forests as investigators sought to reconstruct the movement of the two SPOs before their disappearance and establish the identity of those involved in the killings.
