Kishtwar/Jammu: The bodies of two village defence guards (VDG) killed by terrorists in Kishtwar district were on Friday recovered from near a rivulet during a search operation, officials said.
A massive cordon-and-search operation is also underway in Kishtwar to track down the terrorists responsible for the killings.
According to officials, the two VDGs were executed by terrorists on Thursday after being abducted in the higher reaches of Kishtwar district. Their bodies were spotted lying near a rivulet in the Pondgwari area in Keshwan belt.
The Army and Special Operations Group (SOG), after locating the bodies, carefully conducted an operation to recover them, the officials said, adding that the bodies are being transported to the deceased’s homes in the district.
A joint search operation involving the police, Army, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been launched in a dense forest area following the gruesome killings, which have been condemned by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and leaders from the People’s Democratic Party, Congress, and the BJP.
The operation is concentrated in the Kuntwara, Ohli, and Munzla Dhar hilly areas, with reinforcements dispatched early this morning, the officials said.
Security forces have intensified efforts, deploying drones and sniffer dogs, with a helicopter seen hovering over the forested area this morning, they added.
As reported earlier, two VDG members, Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar from Ohli-Kuntwara, went missing in the upper reaches while grazing livestock.
Photographs of their bodies later circulated on social media, and family members have confirmed their identities, a police spokesperson said.
The officials reported that Ahmad and Kumar had gone to graze cattle in the Munzla Dhar forest in Adhwari but did not return. Police teams spread out to locate them amid reports of their abduction and subsequent killing by terrorists.
“My brother and Nazir were abducted and killed by terrorists. They were village defence guards and had gone to graze cattle as usual,” Kumar’s brother Prithvi said .
The village learned of the killings when terrorists used the victims’ phones to share pictures of their execution, according to a local source who did not wish to be named.
Kashmir Tigers, believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility for the killings, sharing images of the victims with blindfolded eyes.
Kishtwar, along with other districts in the Jammu region such as Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, and Kathua, has seen a rise in terror attacks this year, attributed by security agencies to attempts by cross-border handlers to revive militancy in the otherwise peaceful region.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has condemned the attack on VDG members and reiterated the government’s resolve to destroy all terror outfits and avenge the barbaric act.
He paid homage to the victims and said, “No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on VDG members.”
“I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave sons martyred in this cowardly attack. We are firmly resolved to destroy all terror outfits and avenge this barbaric act,” Sinha said in a post on X.
“Deeply saddened & concerned by the attack that resulted in the deaths of Kuldeep Kumar & Nazeer Ahmed Padder of Kuntwara in Kishtwar, members of the local village defence committee,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on X.
He said the terrorists killed two innocent men who had taken their livestock to graze.
“I condemn this attack unequivocally & send my condolences to the families. At the same time I expect the security forces to move quickly to plug any gaps in our counter-terror grid & ensure that attacks like this stop completely,” he said.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the killings.
“Party President Ms. Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) has condemned the brutal killings of Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar, village defense guards in Kishtwar,” the PDP posted on its official X handle.
People’s Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone also expressed sadness over the loss of lives.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in Kishtwar, who were brutally shot dead. My heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones. May they rest in peace,” he added.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, and Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Ravinder Sharma also condemned the killings.
