Kishtwar on Alert After Two Police Personnel Found Shot Dead in Forests; Security Agencies Probe Militant Involvement

JAMMU: The recovery of two police personnel found dead in the forests of Kishtwar has triggered a major security investigation in Jammu and Kashmir, with agencies examining whether militants operating in the mountainous region were responsible for their deaths.

The bodies of Rachpal Kumar and Bobby Chand, both Special Police Officers associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group, were located early Thursday.

Their deaths came to light after they failed to report back during an assignment in the remote Dachhan belt.

What has particularly alarmed investigators is that both men had sustained gunshot injuries and their service firearms were reportedly missing.

Security officials are examining whether the weapons were taken by the assailants and whether the killings were part of a planned operation.

Search operation follows sudden loss of contact.

The two SPOs had been assigned duties alongside personnel of the Army’s 17 Rashtriya Rifles.

Their responsibilities included maintaining a security presence in the area and supporting operational arrangements at a temporary Army position in Basnan, within the Inderwal region.

On Wednesday, they were travelling through the forested terrain after leaving Kiyar Dachhan. Their intended destination was a temporary operational base where personnel were scheduled to be relieved.

Their disappearance became a matter of concern after reports of gunfire emerged from the Deharna forest area. Attempts to establish communication proved unsuccessful, partly because the mountainous Kiyar belt has virtually no mobile network coverage.

A police search team subsequently entered the forest to locate the missing personnel. The operation eventually led to the discovery of their bodies the following morning.

Possible support network under investigation

Investigators are now attempting to establish whether the suspected attackers had local assistance. Intelligence inputs have reportedly directed attention towards individuals suspected of maintaining links with a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) network.

At least three suspected overground workers are being questioned, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Their possible involvement in providing information about security deployments, helping militants navigate the terrain,n or arranging logistical support is being examined.

A senior police officer said the preliminary assessment pointed towards the participation of three militants, two of whom were suspected to be foreign nationals.

These findings remain part of the ongoing investigation and have not yet been independently established.

Security agencies are also reviewing surveillance footage in an effort to reconstruct the movements of the suspected attackers.

The difficult terrain, dense vegetation and marshy patches in the area may have provided cover for their escape, investigators believe.

Back-to-back incidents put security forces on alert

The Kishtwar killings have added to concerns following Wednesday’s shooting at a CRPF security position in Kulgam district, where three personnel were wounded in an attack near Mir Bazar.

The two incidents, involving personnel attached to security operations in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, have prompted renewed scrutiny of security arrangements in vulnerable areas.

The Kulgam shooting took place while Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was visiting the district for a festival inauguration. The Kishtwar incident was reported separately from the mountainous Dachhan region.

For investigators, the immediate priorities are establishing the circumstances in which the two SPOs were killed, tracing their missing weapons and determining whether the suspected attackers received assistance from people familiar with the area.

Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.