Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45, had gone missing while travelling towards an Army post in the remote Dachhan area; joint search operation launched to track those responsible
Kishtwar, November 12: The bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from the remote Dachhan area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district early Thursday, a day after the personnel went missing while travelling towards an Army post. The disappearance and subsequent recovery of their bodies have raised serious security concerns, particularly as their service weapons were not found.
The deceased have been identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45. Both were attached to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police and were posted at Kiyar village in the Dachhan area. According to officials, they went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah.
The absence of their service weapons has prompted officials to suspect a possible militant involvement. However, the precise circumstances of the killings and the identity of those responsible have not yet been officially established.
Following reports of their disappearance, security forces launched a search operation in the difficult, forested terrain of Dachhan. Police and other security personnel moved into the surrounding areas to trace the missing officers. After the bodies were located, the search and security operation was intensified, with forces working to identify and track down the suspected assailants.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the security situation in Kishtwar, particularly its remote upper reaches, where dense forests, mountainous terrain and limited connectivity pose challenges for counter-insurgency operations. Security forces have been conducting sustained operations in the district to track suspected militants believed to be operating in isolated areas.
The killings have also come amid heightened security concerns in the Jammu region following recent militant-related incidents. Three CRPF personnel were injured in an attack near Akhran in Kulgam district, with one reported to be in critical condition, according to reports published on Thursday.
Investigators are expected to examine the circumstances in which the two SPOs went missing, the recovery locations, the missing service weapons and any possible evidence of an ambush. The possibility of militant involvement remains a key line of investigation, but the motive and sequence of events will need to be established through the ongoing probe.
The recovery of the two personnel’s bodies is a serious setback for security forces in the region and has reinforced the need for heightened vigilance in vulnerable areas of Kishtwar.
