Two missing special police officers found shot dead in Kishtwar
Security forces have launched a massive operation to track the assailants after the bodies of two officers were recovered from a forest.
The bullet-riddled bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from a forest in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday morning, according to reports by Hindustan Times and Kashmir Observer. The officers, Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45, had gone missing on Wednesday while travelling to an army post in the remote Dachhan-Marwah area.
Both men were residents of Kiyar village and were posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police. They were heading towards a temporary base of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Dharna-Marwah belt when they lost contact with their unit.
Officials stated that the officers' service weapons, including an INSAS rifle and a.303 rifle, were missing and are believed to have been taken by terrorists. Investigators also found empty cartridges of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing steel-core ammunition at the scene.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat reached Kishtwar to review the situation as a joint operation involving the Army, J&K Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) began. Security forces are using drones, sniffer dogs, and helicopters to search the dense forest and mountainous terrain.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the killings and condemned the attack. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shagun Parihar also condemned the incident, stating she had faith that the deaths would be avenged.