Search underway in Kishtwar after two armed Special Police Officers vanish

Two armed Special Police Officers assigned to patrol duty disappeared on Wednesday afternoon in the high-altitude terrain of the Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir. The missing personnel are 40-year-old Rashpal Kumar and 54-year-old Babbi Chand, both originating from Dachan. According to reports from the Indian Express, the officers were traveling from Kiyar Dachan to take charge at a temporary army camp of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles in Basnan, Inderwal. Residents near the Deharna forest area reported hearing gunshots prior to the disappearance. Officials note that the zone suffers from poor mobile connectivity and functions as a shadow area where communication is difficult. An SOG team and army units subsequently moved toward the location, backed by additional reinforcements conducting wide-scale tracking operations.

Additional Incidents

This incident follows an earlier attack on Wednesday where suspected militants opened fire on a security checkpoint in the Kulgam district of South Kashmir, injuring three personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force. Officials pointed out that this event marks the third militant strike in the region since July, and the second specifically targeting security forces. Security personnel had previously eliminated Pakistani fighters in the area earlier this year.

Context

The upper reaches of Marwah and Dachhan have a long history of militant activity and previously served as a stronghold for the Hizbul Mujahideen group during peak periods of insurgency in the Doda region. Long-surviving local commander Jahangir Saroori is also suspected to operate within these dense forests. Thick vegetation and rugged terrain make tracking operations particularly challenging for security forces deployed in the Chenab Valley.