Kishtwar: The sudden disappearance of two policemen in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir has increased the concern of security agencies. On Wednesday, two Special Police Officers (SPOs) went missing from the high hilly area of Dachhan area. After this, police and army together started a large-scale search operation. At present no trace of either has been found. The missing soldiers have been identified as 57-year-old Bobby Chand and 45-year-old Rashpal Kumar. Both were deployed with the Special Operation Group (SOG) in the camp located in Kiyar village of Deccan.
According to officials, both the soldiers were going from Kiar Camp towards the army post located at Dharna-Marwah. However, they did not reach the designated place. Initially there was contact on their mobile phones, but after some time both the phones got switched off. After this, the concern about his disappearance increased further.
Search operations in hills and forests
Police and Army's Rashtriya Rifles have launched a joint operation to search for both the SPOs. Security forces are searching the surrounding areas. This also includes inaccessible hilly areas and dense forests, where soldiers are facing difficulties in reaching. Officials have advised to avoid linking this incident to terrorist activity for the time being. He says that until all the facts related to the case are revealed, it will be too early to draw any conclusions.
The remote and forested areas of Kishtwar have long been the focus of security forces' operations. Many incidents related to terrorism have happened here in the last few years. Many active terrorists have been killed in security operations, but the difficult geographical location and vast forests still remain a challenge for the security agencies. According to the data, five people, including four terrorists and an army soldier, died in terrorism-related incidents in 2026. In 2025, three terrorists and one soldier were killed, while in 2024, three security personnel and two civilians lost their lives.
Administration sought cooperation from people
On October 4, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma had appealed to the people of Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan to unite against terrorism. He had asked people to immediately give information about suspicious activities and movement of terrorists to the security forces. According to Sharma, there is a lot of tourism potential in these areas, but the presence of terrorists is hindering the movement of tourists. He had said that peace and security are very important to promote tourism and development.