Terror Strikes Kishtwar: Bodies of two missing SPOs recovered with multiple bullet wounds

The bodies of two Jammu and Kashmir Police Special Police Officers, missing since Wednesday (Nov 11), were recovered from a forested area in Kishtwar’s Dachhan on the morning of Nov 12. Both officers had multiple bullet injuries, and their service weapons were missing, raising suspicion of a possible terrorist attack.

NewsBharati    12-Nov-2026 14:56:14 PM
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The search for two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district ended in tragedy on Thursday (Nov 12) morning after their bullet-riddled bodies were recovered from a forested area in Dachhan.
 
Special Police Officer
(The bodies of two missing Special Police Officers were recovered from a forest in Kishtwar’s Dachhan area on Thursday, Image: X)
 
The officers, identified as Rashpal Kumar, 45, and Bobby Chand, 57, had gone missing on Wednesday afternoon while travelling from their camp in Kiyar to an Army Temporary Operational Base (TOB) in the Basnan area. Their disappearance triggered a joint search operation involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army and the CRPF.
 
 
Officials said both bodies bore multiple bullet wounds. Their service weapons were also missing from the scene, prompting security agencies to suspect a possible terrorist ambush. The attackers have not yet been identified.
 
SPOs went missing during duty movement
 
According to officials, the two officers were travelling to relieve personnel deployed at a post in the Dharna area under the 17 Rashtriya Rifles. They were assigned rotation duty and area domination in the sector.
 
Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were switched off later. Around the same time, residents reported hearing gunshots in the forested stretch between Kiyar and Dharna. Mobile network services in the area were also disrupted.
 
The remote terrain, dense forests and poor road connectivity made the search operation particularly challenging.
 
Bodies recovered after overnight search
 
Following the disappearance, joint teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF launched an extensive search across the forested hills.
 
Security personnel used drones and sniffer dogs to cover difficult stretches. The two bodies were recovered on Thursday morning, around two kilometres from the area where the officers had gone missing. One body was found at around 8 am and the second at around 9 am, sources said.
 
 
 
Security forces have since intensified cordon and search operations across Dachhan and the neighbouring Marwah sector. Teams are looking for the attackers and the missing service weapons.
 
BJP MLA calls incident tragic
 
BJP MLA from Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar, described the killings as a “truly tragic incident” and said she was heading to the area.
 
Officials have not ruled out a terror angle, although the investigation is continuing and all possibilities are being examined.
 
Fresh security concerns in Jammu and Kashmir
 
The killings come amid heightened security concerns in the Union Territory. On Wednesday, three CRPF personnel were injured in a terror attack in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district after motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire.
 
In a separate incident, two hand grenades were recovered in Baramulla, leading to an arrest. Security agencies have increased surveillance and deployments, particularly in forest belts considered vulnerable to militant movement.
 
 
 
The upper reaches of Kishtwar, including Dachhan and Marwah, remain challenging areas for security operations because of their mountainous terrain, dense forests and limited connectivity.
 
Earlier SPO killing in Kishtwar
 
The latest incident has also brought back concerns over the safety of local police personnel operating in the district. In mid-October, another SPO, Bashir Ahmad, 55, from Wanipora Trigam, went missing with his service rifle. He was later found dead near his residence.
 
Investigations into Thursday’s killings are underway. Forensic teams are expected to examine the bodies and the recovery site as security forces continue their search for those responsible.
 
Further details about the circumstances of the killings are awaited.