The bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who went missing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district were recovered early on Thursday, a day after they disappeared while travelling to an Army post in the remote Dachhan belt. Their service weapons were missing, raising suspicions of a militant attack.

The two officers have been identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45. Both were attached to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and posted at Kiyar village in Dachhan.

Officials said the two men went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp at Kiyar to the Army’s Temporary Operating Base at Dharna in the Marwah sector, where they had been assigned rotation duty. Their mobile phones were reachable at first but were later switched off, prompting a massive search operation across the forested upper reaches of the district.

Search teams found the first body at around 8 am on Thursday and the second about an hour later, Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar told reporters. Both bodies bore multiple bullet injuries.

01. Key takeaways

  • Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), both SPOs with the police Special Operations Group, were found dead in Kishtwar’s Dachhan forests on Thursday morning.
  • The two went missing on Wednesday while travelling from Kiyar camp to an Army post at Dharna-Marwah.
  • Their service weapons were missing from the scene, and officials suspect a militant ambush — though the exact circumstances are still being investigated.
  • Security forces have launched a massive manhunt for the attackers.

02. What happens next

Security forces have intensified cordon and search operations in the Dachhan belt. Officials said the identity of the attackers and the circumstances of the killings are not yet known, and no group has claimed responsibility. Kishtwar has remained a focus of counter-insurgency operations, with security forces working to eliminate the remaining terrorist presence in its remote and forested areas.

The killings come a day after three CRPF personnel were injured when gunmen opened fire at a security checkpoint in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.

03. Frequently asked questions

Who were the two officers killed in Kishtwar?
Special Police Officers Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45, both attached to the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police and posted at Kiyar village in Dachhan.

When did they go missing?
They went missing on Wednesday, 11 November, while travelling from their camp at Kiyar to an Army post at Dharna in the Marwah sector. Their bodies were recovered early on Thursday morning.

Why do officials suspect a militant attack?
Both bodies had multiple bullet injuries and the officers’ service weapons were missing from the scene. Officials have said a militant angle is suspected, but the exact circumstances are still under investigation.