The dead officers were identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45, both from Kiyar village in the remote Dachhan area. Their service rifles and ammunition were missing, prompting investigators to suspect that militants killed them and seized their weapons. Authorities have not publicly identified the attackers.
The officers, attached to the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group, disappeared on Wednesday while travelling towards an Army position in the Dharna-Marwah area for patrolling duty. Their bodies were discovered on Thursday morning following an overnight search through difficult forested terrain.
Officials said the missing weapons included an INSAS rifle and a.303 rifle, together with magazines and ammunition. Investigators also recovered spent cartridges described by officials as Pakistani-origin armour-piercing ammunition. The origin of the cartridges does not, by itself, establish the identity or affiliation of those responsible.
Police and Army units reinforced their presence around Kiyar and the route towards Dharna-Marwah. Search teams deployed drones and sniffer dogs to examine wooded slopes and inaccessible stretches, while personnel on the ground looked for signs of the attackers’ movements and the missing firearms.
The two officers had been travelling to relieve personnel deployed at a temporary military position. Officials said their telephones were initially reachable but calls went unanswered before the devices were switched off. Residents had also reported hearing gunfire in the area on Wednesday afternoon, adding to concerns about their disappearance.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat travelled to Kishtwar and reviewed the security situation with senior police and Army officers. The operation involves the police’s Special Operations Group and other security units, with attention focused on identifying the assailants and recovering the stolen weapons.
The killings followed Wednesday’s shooting at a Central Reserve Police Force checkpoint near Mir Bazar in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Suspected militants opened fire on personnel stationed in the Akhran area, injuring three members of the force, one critically, before escaping.
Security personnel continued a cordon-and-search operation in Kulgam on Thursday to locate the attackers. The assailants were described as travelling on a motorcycle, and the search concentrated on routes around the checkpoint and neighbouring areas. No confirmed link between the Kulgam shooting and the Kishtwar killings has been established.
The incidents occurred in separate parts of Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting the challenges faced by security forces in protecting fixed checkpoints and personnel moving through remote terrain. Kishtwar’s mountainous forests complicate searches, while the Kulgam attack took place at a staffed roadside security position.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of the two officers and expressed condolences to their families. Political leaders across party lines also denounced the violence and called for those responsible to be apprehended.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary described the two attacks within 24 hours as a serious concern and questioned claims that militancy had been eliminated from Jammu and Kashmir. His remarks reflected renewed political scrutiny of security arrangements following the two incidents.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also condemned the violence, saying terrorism would not succeed. Opposition figures, including BJP leaders, demanded firm action against the perpetrators, while representatives of other parties expressed sympathy for the bereaved families.
Several organisations, including the Shiv Sena Dogra Front and Bajrang Dal, staged protests in Jammu, condemning the killings and demanding stronger action against militancy. Demonstrators also raised slogans against Pakistan, reflecting public anger over the attacks.
Kishtwar legislator Shagun Parihar said the two bodies were recovered separately, at approximately 8 am and 9 am on Thursday. She urged the Union Home Ministry to ensure that those responsible were brought to justice and travelled towards the affected area after learning of the deaths.
Special Police Officers are locally recruited personnel who assist regular police in security and law-enforcement duties, including operations in areas where knowledge of local terrain is important. The two men were familiar with the Dachhan area, where steep slopes, forest cover and patchy communications can hamper movement and searches.
Security teams were continuing to examine the forest route between Kiyar and Dharna-Marwah, while investigators worked to establish the precise circumstances in which the officers were intercepted. The missing rifles remained a focus of the operation.
