The bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district early Thursday
JAMMU — The bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district early Thursday, a day after they went missing from the remote Dachhan area and terrorists targeted a CRPF checkpost in Kulgam, officials said.
The slain personnel's service weapons — an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle along with some magazines and ammunition — were missing and are believed to have been taken away by terrorists, officials said. Empty cartridges of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing steel-core ammunition were recovered from the scene, they said.
The incident occurred at an altitude of 8,858 feet between Deharna and Kiyar villages while the two SPOs were heading to a post at Basnand, officials said.
"A massive operation is underway to identify, track and neutralise the assailants," an official said.
The two SPOs have been identified as Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45). Posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village in Dachhan, they went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp to an Army post for patrolling duty at Deharna-Marwah.
The two SPOs were locals and were aware of the topography of the area, an official said.
Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were later switched off, prompting an extensive search operation. Security forces rushed reinforcements and deployed specialised teams with drones and sniffer dogs early on Thursday to scan the inaccessible forest stretches around Kiyar and the route towards Deharna-Marwah.
A group of local terrorists are believed to be active in the region who are behind the killing of SPOs, officials said.
Kiyar is located in the high-altitude Dachhan valley at an average regional elevation of roughly 2,880 metres (9,460 feet). Deharna, situated at an elevation of 6,560 to 7,220 feet, lies about 14 km from the Marwah tehsil headquarters and 30 to 50 km from Kishtwar town. It lacks direct all-weather road connectivity.
While Kishtwar is located 210 km from winter capital of Jammu, the area where the incident took place is further located 50 km in mountainous region.
The killing of the two SPOs follow an attack on a CRPF checkpost in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday, in which three security personnel were injured, one of them critically.
The twin incidents drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, including from the National Conference (NC), BJP, Congress, PDP and CPI(M). Several right-wing groups, including the Shiv Sena Dogra Front and Bajrang Dal, staged anti-Pakistan protests in Jammu demanding strict action against the perpetrators.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary termed the twin attacks within 24 hours a matter of serious concern, stating that the incidents contradict the BJP-led Centre's claims of having made Jammu and Kashmir terrorism-free.
He said that while statehood was revoked in the name of security and combating militancy, the ground situation remains largely unchanged.
NC president Farooq Abdullah asserted that terrorism would never succeed in its designs and urged those harbouring ambitions of taking Kashmir to abandon such notions.
Expressing concern over claims in Delhi that militancy had ended in the Union Territory, he called for concrete security measures. "I have already said such incidents are still happening. One never knows where the next attack might take place," he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and BJP leader Sunil Sharma also condemned the killings and demanded decisive action.
"Condemnation alone is not enough. The remaining terrorist ecosystem must be completely dismantled. We are hopeful that the security forces will eliminate the remaining Pakistan-sponsored elements and ensure lasting peace across Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding that such incidents create hurdles in restoring peace.
CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said there is no justification for taking innocent lives, noting that violence only inflicts pain and suffering on society.
PDP leader and spokesperson Firdaus Tak questioned the sudden escalation in violence, urging the government to take serious note of the deteriorating security situation while calling for adequate support and rehabilitation for the bereaved families.
Congress leader Ravinder Sharma said such "cowardly attacks won't deter our brave forces from eliminating terrorists".
Kishtwar has been a focal point of counter-insurgency operations, which have led to the neutralisation of several active terrorists in recent months. According to official figures, five people, including four terrorists and an Army soldier, have been killed in terror-related incidents in the district in 2026.
The latest incident comes against the backdrop of repeated appeals by the administration and security agencies for public cooperation.
On October 4, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma had urged residents of Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan to unite against terrorism and share timely intelligence on militant movements, noting that the presence of active terrorists remains a primary hurdle to unlocking the region's immense tourism potential.