Bullet-Riddled Bodies of Two J&K SPOs Recovered In Kishtwar Forest

Jammu: Authorities in Kishtwar district recovered the bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) on Thursday, a day after the personnel vanished in the remote Dachhan belt. The deceased — Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45 — were found with bullet injuries, while their service firearms could not be located, deepening concerns that the men may have been targeted in a militant strike, agencies reported.
The two officers, assigned to the Special Operations Group (SOG) at Kiyar village in Dachhan, had set out from their camp for rotational duty at an Army post in Dharna–Marwah. When they failed to arrive at the destination, security agencies launched an extensive operation across the forested terrain, deploying additional personnel and drones.
Their bodies were eventually located in a forested stretch of Dachhan early on Thursday. Investigators are now working to reconstruct the sequence of events, including reports that gunfire was heard in the area between Kiyar and Derana before the officers disappeared.
The missing weapons have emerged as a central element of the probe. Officials said the absence of the SPOs’ service arms has raised the possibility of a militant attack, although police have not yet confirmed the identity of the attackers or formally attributed the killings to any group.
Earlier Disappearance
The incident follows another disturbing case in the same district. On October 14, SPO Bashir Ahmed, 55, of Wanipora Trigam, went missing from the Pedil police post along with his service self-loading rifle. His body was found near his residence two days later.
Ahmed had been posted at the Pedil police post since 2025. The recurrence of disappearances involving armed personnel in Kishtwar has added urgency to the ongoing security operation in the district.
Kulgam Attack
The recovery of the bodies came barely a day after gunmen targeted a CRPF position at Akhran near Mir Bazar in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday. Three CRPF personnel were wounded in the afternoon firing; one sustained critical injuries and was airlifted to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, while the other two were reported stable.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the hospital on Wednesday evening to check on the condition of the critically injured jawan. He assured the injured trooper of full support and said those behind the attack would face consequences soon.