Terrorists suspected as bodies of two SPOs recovered in Kishtwar

The bullet-riddled bodies of two missing Special Police Officers were recovered in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. Their service rifles were missing, while security forces launched an operation to track the assailants amid heightened concerns over recent attacks

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 service weapons of the slain personnel were missing. These included an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, along with some magazines and ammunition, which are believed to have been taken away by terrorists, officials said. Empty cartridges of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing (AP) steel-core ammunition were recovered from the scene, they added.

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“A massive operation is underway to identify, track and neutralise the assailants,” an official said.

The two SPOs were identified as Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45). They were posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village in Dachhan and had gone missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp to an Army post for patrolling duty at Dharna-Marwah. They were locals and were familiar with the area’s topography, an official said.

Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were later switched off, prompting concern and an extensive search operation.

Security forces rushed reinforcements and deployed specialised teams equipped with drones and sniffer dogs early Thursday, widening the search to cover a larger area around Kiyar and the route towards Dharna-Marwah.

While drones scanned inaccessible forest stretches, sniffer dogs assisted ground teams in tracking possible movement.

The killing of the two SPOs follows 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 from the National Conference, 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 and demanded action against those responsible.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary termed the twin attacks within 24 hours a matter of serious concern, saying the incidents contradicted the BJP government’s claims of having made Jammu and Kashmir terrorism-free.

He said statehood had been taken away from Jammu and Kashmir in the name of security and combating terrorism, yet the security situation remained largely unchanged, with militant attacks continuing much as they did when it was a state.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said those harbouring ambitions of taking Kashmir must abandon such notions and asserted that terrorism would never succeed in its designs.

Expressing concern over claims in Delhi that terrorism had ended in Jammu and Kashmir, he called for concrete measures and said, “I have already said such incidents are still happening. One never knows where the next attack might take place.”

BJP’s Sunil Sharma, Leader of Opposition in the J-K Assembly, also condemned the killing of the two SPOs and demanded decisive action against the remaining terrorist elements.

“This is extremely tragic. We strongly condemn the attack, but condemnation alone is not enough. The remaining terrorist ecosystem must be completely dismantled. We are hopeful that the security forces, which are actively engaged in operations, will eliminate the remaining Pakistan-sponsored elements and ensure lasting peace across Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Such incidents, he added, undoubtedly create hurdles in efforts to restore peace.

CPI-M MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said violence had never yielded any positive results and only inflicted pain and suffering on society. He said there was no justification for taking innocent lives.

PDP senior leader and spokesperson Firdaus Tak questioned the sudden escalation in violence and urged the government to take serious note of the deteriorating security situation.

He also called for adequate support and rehabilitation for the families of the slain personnel and demanded that those involved in the attacks be apprehended and brought to justice.

Congress leader Ravinder Sharma said, “Such cowardly attacks won’t deter our brave forces from eliminating terrorists.”

Kishtwar, about 200 km from Jammu, has been a focus of counter-insurgency operations, which have resulted in the killing of several active terrorists. Security forces are continuing efforts to eliminate the remaining terrorist presence in the area’s remote and forested regions, officials said.

According to available figures, five people, including four terrorists and one Army soldier, were killed in terror-related incidents in 2026.

The latest incident comes against the backdrop of repeated appeals by the district administration and security agencies for greater public cooperation in tackling terrorism and ensuring lasting peace in the region.

On October 4, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma urged residents of the remote areas of Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan to stand united against terrorism and share timely information about the movement of suspected terrorists with security forces.

“Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan areas have immense tourism potential, but the presence of active militants remains one of the key reasons restricting tourist movement in the region,” Sharma said, stressing that peace and security were essential for promoting tourism and ensuring sustainable development.