JAMMU/SRINAGAR: The killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Kishtwar has triggered a political exchange in Jammu and Kashmir, with the National Conference (NC) and Congress questioning the remarks and allegations made by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, while the BJP leader has accused the Congress of misleading the public over the circumstances of the killings.
The controversy has also brought into focus competing accounts of how the two personnel died, questions over their deployment in a remote area and allegations concerning the use of a mosque to make provocative announcements. A BJP leader from Kishtwar and a local Muslim religious body have rejected the latter claim, calling for restraint and an impartial investigation.
SPOs Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), both residents of Kishtwar district, were found dead in the Dachhan forest area early Thursday, a day after they went missing while travelling towards a security post at Basnand in the adjoining Marwah tehsil.
The National Conference criticised Sharma over his remarks during an exchange with senior police officers following the killings. NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the use of words such as “nalayak” and “naehl” against an IPS officer demeaned the entire Jammu and Kashmir Police force.
Dar said the frustration over the killings was understandable but should be directed towards those responsible for handling law and order, including the Union Home Minister and the Lieutenant Governor-led administration. He said the incident raised questions about the security situation and the arrangements in place, while urging political parties not to politicise the deaths.
The Congress also criticised the BJP leadership and called for a thorough investigation. JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said public questioning of police and security forces sent a wrong message, particularly given their sacrifices in combating militancy.
He questioned the circumstances in which the two SPOs were assigned duty in a difficult and isolated area, suggesting that possible security lapses needed to be examined. He also said responsibility for security rested with the Union Home Ministry and the Lieutenant Governor-led administration.
The controversy followed a video showing Sunil Sharma and Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar confronting senior police officers, including Inspector General of Police Tejinder Singh and Deputy Inspector General of Police Sargun Shukla, after the deaths of the two SPOs.
Sharma questioned the operational arrangements under which the personnel were sent across difficult mountainous terrain to assist Army personnel, allegedly with inadequate institutional support. He asked how two local SPOs armed with a .303 rifle and an INSAS rifle had been deployed in such circumstances.
Demanding an inquiry into who had assigned them the duty and under what orders, Sharma called for the restoration of a Special Operations Group (SOG) picket, deployment of 40 personnel, installation of a VHF communication tower and completion of pending road projects in the sensitive area. He also alleged that some officers were using over-ground workers as guides and sought action against those responsible.
Parihar, meanwhile, expressed anguish over what she described as a delay in senior officials visiting the bereaved families. She also alleged that the bodies of the deceased personnel had been disrespected and transported in dumpers, and questioned the arrangements made for their families.
A separate controversy emerged after Parihar alleged that announcements had been made from a mosque in Warwan ahead of the killings, claiming that local residents were being selectively targeted.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Karra called for a comprehensive investigation into all possible angles, saying claims had emerged that the two SPOs may have been shot by security personnel who mistook them for militants because they were in civilian clothes.
Karra said he had spoken to the Congress district president in Kishtwar and referred to reports that the two personnel had gone hunting with their weapons. He claimed they had crossed two security pickets without difficulty while going towards the area but may have been mistaken for militants by Army personnel while returning.
He said another account being put forward by the BJP was that the SPOs had been killed by militants, and stressed that every possibility should be investigated rather than focusing on a single version. His remarks drew a sharp response from Sharma.
Rejecting Karra’s account, Sharma accused the Congress leader of spreading misinformation and attempting to shift responsibility from terrorists to security forces. He demanded that Karra withdraw his remarks and apologise to the families of the deceased, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army.
Sharma maintained that the two SPOs were performing official duties with the SOG and were travelling to an Army post at Dharna-Marwah to relieve personnel deployed there. He objected to their being described as hunters and said they were on duty when they were killed.
Disputing the possibility of mistaken identity, Sharma claimed that the attackers had taken away the SPOs’ rifles, magazines and ammunition. He also referred to the recovery of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing cartridges from the site and police posters announcing a reward of Rs 30 lakh for information about three wanted terrorists.
Sharma further questioned Karra’s account, saying the Congress leader’s reference to the two personnel crossing security pickets contradicted the suggestion that they were mistaken for militants. He accused the Congress of undermining the morale of security personnel deployed in the difficult terrain of Warwan, Dachhan and Marwah.
Karra, in turn, accused the BJP of communalising the incident through allegations about mosque announcements. He said the claims should be substantiated and challenged Parihar to withdraw them if they were found to be untrue. He also questioned the Centre’s claims of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, seeking a white paper on the security situation.
The mosque-related allegation was separately rejected by BJP leader from Kishtwar Jahanzaib Sirwal, who termed it unfortunate and factually unsubstantiated. He said religious institutions should not be linked to provocative activities without credible evidence and cautioned against statements that could create mistrust between communities.
Sirwal also objected to Sharma’s remarks linking the killings to alleged attempts at the ethnic cleansing of a particular community, saying such assertions, if made without substantiation, could generate fear and undermine social harmony.
The Islami Markaz-e-Majlis Shura Kishtwar, headed by Jamia Masjid Imam Maulana Farooq Ahmad Kichloo, also rejected Parihar’s allegation and sought a public apology. Kichloo said unverified claims involving religious institutions could disturb peace in the sensitive district.
He said the organisation had always condemned terrorism and violence, irrespective of the identity of the victims or perpetrators, and urged the legislator to identify the mosque or provide evidence of the alleged announcement. He called for an impartial probe and said anyone found responsible should face action.
Kichloo said the issue should not be prolonged or politicised at the cost of communal harmony, adding that the administration and security agencies should establish the facts.
With political parties presenting sharply different accounts of the killings and the circumstances surrounding them, leaders across the spectrum have called for an investigation. The circumstances in which the two SPOs died, the security arrangements governing their deployment and the allegations made in the aftermath remain central to the questions raised by the incident.
