Kishtwar – November 13, 2026: A massive, multi-tiered Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) involving elite army commandos, paramilitary units, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police is underway across the dense, rugged alpine forests of the Dachchan-Marwah sector in Kishtwar district following the recovery of the bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were ambushed in the remote wilderness.
The fallen personnel—identified as 45-year-old Rashpal Kumar and 57-year-old Bobby Chand, attached to SOG Kiyar in the Dachchan belt—were assigned to rotational duty to reinforce a Temporary Operating Base (TOB) of the Army’s 17 Rashtriya Rifles in Marwah. When the duo failed to reach the forward post on Wednesday, extensive mountain search protocols were activated.
Search parties traversing the treacherous mountainous topography subsequently discovered their bullet-riddled bodies deep within the forest canopy, two to three kilometres off the transit track. Their service rifles were missing from the scene, indicating they were ambushed at close quarters by armed assailants.
Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat made an urgent operational visit to Kishtwar to assess ground counter-insurgency deployments first-hand. In high-level operational meetings with senior formations of the Indian Army and central paramilitary forces, the police chief reviewed tactical dispositions and mandated an unrelenting, multi-directional search grid.
Specialized search teams equipped with thermal imaging drones, sniffer dog squads, and high-altitude quadcopters are combing high ridges, mountain passes, and natural cave hideouts connecting Kishtwar with Anantnag and Doda. District-wide security has been placed on high alert, with reinforced vehicular nakas and forest choke-point cordons established to prevent the perpetrators from escaping into upper Pir Panjal reaches.
Published by True Roots Media