Two Special Police Officers Go Missing in J&K’s Kishtwar; Massive Search Operation Launched

Two Special Police Officers went missing along with their weapons on Wednesday afternoon from the border area between Marwah and Dachhan in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a joint search operation by police and security forces.

The missing personnel, identified as 40-year-old Rashpal Kumar and 54-year-old Babi Chand, were part of the Special Operations Group and were patrolling the Dachhan-Marwah region alongside the Army, according to NDTV.

Officials told The Indian Express that the two officers were returning from Kiyar Dachhan to relieve personnel manning a Temporary Operational Base of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Basnan area of Inderwal. Gunshots were reported in the Deharna forest area during their movement, while mobile network services experienced disruptions.

Unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at around 2:15 pm, injuring three security personnel deployed at the naka roughly four kilometers from the National Highway. The injured personnel were identified as Head Constable Somveer Singh from Madhya Pradesh, Constable Rakesh Dass from Assam, and Constable Santosh Chandru from West Bengal. Chandru sustained injuries to his abdomen and spine and was reported to be in slightly serious condition at Government Medical College, Anantnag, while the other two personnel suffered bullet wounds to their arms and legs and remained stable.

“There has been firing on CRPF Naka at Kulgam, Kashmir.” “Three personnel injured.” “Operations are going on to nab the perpetrators and best possible treatment is being provided to the injured personnel,” the CRPF said in a statement carried by The Times of India. Security agencies launched a search operation to track down the attackers who fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

The rugged geography of Kishtwar district has historically complicated counter-insurgency operations, with dense forest cover and remote shadow zones posing severe communication hurdles for security personnel. Officials said that Kiyar lacks mobile connectivity, cutting off contact with the missing officers after the initial gunshots were heard in the forest.

The region has seen persistent militant activity involving both local commanders and foreign fighters.

Security forces previously neutralized several Pakistani militants in the area, while Hizbul Mujahideen commander Jahangir Saroori—described as the Chenab Valley’s longest-surviving militant—is believed to have operated from the forested terrain for decades.

Authorities have deployed reinforcements into the dense forests between Dachhan and Marwah to trace the missing officers.