Rashpal Kumar, 40, and Babi Chand, 54, were found dead in the remote Dachhan-Marwah area of Kishtwar ditrict. A suspected militant ambush is being investigated.
BY PC BUREAU
November 12 – A search operation for two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district ended in tragedy after their bullet-riddled bodies were recovered from the remote Dachhan-Marwah area, with their service weapons also found missing.
The deceased have been identified as Rashpal Kumar, 40, and Babi Chand, 54. They had gone missing while on patrol duty in the area and were reportedly heading towards the Dherna police post to relieve two colleagues.
Their bodies were recovered by a search party near Dherna Top.
Preliminary findings indicate that the two officers may have been ambushed by terrorists while moving towards the police post.
One of the victims had a bullet wound to the head, while the other had been shot in the back, according to initial information.
The INSAS and .303 rifles carried by the two SPOs were missing from the scene, raising suspicion that their attackers had taken the weapons after killing them.
Gunshots heard during search for missing officers
According to preliminary information, the two SPOs were patrolling alongside Army personnel before proceeding towards the Dherna post.
They went missing while travelling through the remote area, prompting concern among security personnel.
Sources said gunshots were heard in the area during the day. Initially, the mobile phones of both officers remained reachable, but they subsequently became switched off.
When the two failed to return, security forces launched a search operation.
Their bodies were eventually located near Dherna Top, following which additional forces were deployed to the area.
A joint operation involving the police and other security agencies has been intensified to track down those responsible for the killings.
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Kishtwar remains a focus of counter-insurgency operations
The killings have renewed security concerns in Kishtwar, particularly in its remote, forested and mountainous areas, where security forces have been conducting sustained counter-insurgency operations.
Several operations in recent months have targeted the remaining militant presence in the district.
Security agencies have been attempting to track down armed groups operating in difficult terrain, where dense forests and limited road access complicate surveillance and search operations.
The suspected ambush of the two SPOs, along with the disappearance of their weapons, is likely to prompt a fresh security assessment of patrol movements and deployments in the region.
Another SPO was killed in October
The latest incident comes less than a month after another SPO, 55-year-old Bashir Ahmed, was found dead near his residence in Wanipora Trigam village in Kishtwar on October 16.
Ahmed, who was posted at the Pedil Police Post, had gone missing while returning home from duty with his service-issued self-loading rifle (SLR) and magazine.
A subsequent police investigation established that he had been murdered by relatives over an ongoing land dispute.
The two incidents, however, appear to have different circumstances. While Ahmed’s killing was linked to a family property dispute, the deaths of Kumar and Chand are being investigated as a suspected militant attack.
