Jammu/Srinagar: Bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs), who went missing while on duty in the remote Dachhan-Marwah area of Kishtwar district, were recovered on Thursday, official sources said.
As reported earlier, two SPOs had gone missing on Wednesday in the area.
Officials said that bullet riddled bodies of the SPOs were recovered today and a massive counter-terrorist operation has been launched in the area to track down the assailants.
The killed SPOs were identified Rashpal Kumar (40) and Babi Chand (57). Preliminary information suggests that the two SPOs were attacked while proceeding towards Dherna post to relieve their colleagues deployed there.
According to sources, one of the deceased sustained a bullet injury to the head, while the other had a gunshot wound to the back. Their service weapons, an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, were also found missing, raising suspicion that the attackers may have taken their weapons away.
Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat reached Kishtwar following the incident and reviewed the security situation with senior Army and police officers.
A massive joint search and cordon operation involving the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been launched to identify and apprehend the suspected attackers.
Security forces are using sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters to comb the difficult mountainous and forested terrain. The operation has been intensified to track down the assailants and recover the missing service weapons.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed profound grief and anguish over the tragic killing of two SPOs Rashpal Kumar and Babi Chand and strongly condemned the act.
The Chief Minister extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss.
Meanwhile, reacting to the killings, Jammu and Kashmir Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma termed the incident extremely unfortunate and said remnants of the terror-supporting ecosystem were still active in the region.
“Peace is gradually being established in Jammu and Kashmir, yet frustrated elements—frustrated terrorists—carry out such acts just to signal their presence,” Sharma said.
He alleged that the two SPOs were kidnapped while travelling through a dense forest from Dherna towards Kiad and said the incident highlighted the continued presence of terrorist elements despite sustained security operations.
Sharma further maintained that the old terror-supporting network had not been completely dismantled and said its remaining elements would be dealt with.
Kishtwar MLA, Shagun Parihar, expressed grief over the killings, describing the incident as deeply tragic. Parihar said the bodies of the two SPOs were recovered at around 8 am and 9 am, respectively.
Meanwhile, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have condemned the killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs).
Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were later switched off, prompting concerns and an extensive search operation.
Security forces rushed reinforcements and deployed specialised teams equipped with drones and sniffer dogs early this morning, widening the search to cover a wider 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 led to widespread condemnation, including 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.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of two SPOs, calling it a “cowardly act of violence” and extended heartfelt condolences to the families left mourning their loved ones.
Strongly condemning the “cowardly act of violence”, Abdullah extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed solidarity with them in their hour of immense grief.
He also prayed for strength and courage for the families to bear the irreparable loss.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary termed the twin attacks within 24 hours a matter of serious concern, saying the incidents contradict the BJP government’s claims of having made Jammu and Kashmir terrorism-free.
According to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, those harbouring ambitions of taking Kashmir must abandon such notions and asserted that terrorism would never succeed in its designs.
Expressing concerns 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 and leader of opposition in the J&K Assembly also condemned the killing of the two SPOs and demanded decisive action against 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 the efforts to restore peace.”
Former Lok Sabha MP Ruhullah Mehdi also condemned the attack on CRPF in Kulgam and the killing of two SPOs in Kishtwar, and said that violence has never solved anything.
“Devastated by the cowardly terror attacks that took place in Kulgam and the tragic targeted killing of two SPOs in Kishtwar,” Mehdi said in a post on his official handle on X.
He said the immediate aftermath “fractures the dignity of our land and its people”.
“It is deeply unfortunate that now every Kashmiri, whether in Kashmir or outside the state, will face grave humiliation, as all of them will be illogically held responsible for these cowardly acts of terrorism,” he said.
Mehdi, the former Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, said violence has never solved anything.
“These atrocities bring nothing but collective misery and a crisis of peace within the Valley. These cowardly attacks are intentionally planned to fracture our communal harmony, hold back the progress towards peace, and trap innocent families in endless cycles of pain and hardship,” he added.
CPI-M MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said violence has never yielded any positive results and only inflicts pain and suffering on society. There is 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.
