Srinagar: Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s eastern Kishtwar district on Friday announced a cash reward of Rs 30 lakh for information leading to the arrest of three militants believed responsible for the killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs), whose bullet-riddled bodies were recovered from a forest in the remote Dachhan area a day earlier.
The wanted men have been identified as Mohammad Amin alias Jahangir, also known as Jahangir Saroori, a long-surviving Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander active since the 1990s, Riaz Ahmed alias Hazari, and Mudassir Hussain. District police circulated posters describing the trio as “active terrorists” across Kishtwar and neighbouring areas, as well as on social media. Authorities appealed to the public to share any credible information about their whereabouts or movements, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential. Contact numbers provided are 9797900958 and 1995357494.
The two SPOs—identified as Bobby Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar), 45—both hailed from Kiyar village in Dachhan and were attached to J&K Police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG). They went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah to relieve personnel or take up rotational duty. Their mobile phones were initially reachable before being switched off.
After extensive searches involving police, Army, and other forces across the rugged, forested terrain, their bodies were discovered on Thursday morning. Both had sustained multiple bullet injuries, and their service weapons were missing, pointing to a militant attack. The incident has triggered a major security operation in the hilly Chenab Valley region, with forces continuing to comb surrounding forests and high-altitude areas.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep grief over the loss, describing the attack as cowardly and stating that the officers’ courage and selfless service would always be remembered. He extended condolences to the bereaved families and said the administration stood in solidarity with them.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also strongly condemned the killings as a cowardly act, conveying anguish and praying for strength for the families.
In a parallel development in south Kashmir, a joint cordon-and-search operation to track down militants involved in Wednesday’s attack on a CRPF checkpost in Kulgam continued for a third day on Friday. Army personnel, the J&K Police, the SOG, and CRPF teams expanded searches across villages, orchards, and adjoining forest areas around Nowpora Akhran and Mir Bazar. Security has been tightened along the nearby Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, with armoured vehicles, special checkpoints, and intensified vehicle checking. Human and technical intelligence is being used, and several suspects have been detained for questioning.
The attack occurred around 2.15 pm on 11 November when two heavily armed militants emerged from a cluster of trees and opened fire on a CRPF post manned by personnel of the 46th Battalion near Akhran Bridge, about a kilometre from the highway. The attackers then fled towards adjoining forest. Three CRPF personnel—Constables (General Duty) Rakesh Dass, son of Arun Dass, resident of Assam, and Santosh Chandru, son of Mahavir, resident of West Bengal and Head Constable (General Duty) Somveer Singh, son of Mahaveer, resident of Madhya Pradesh—were injured. Critically injured Santosh Chandru was later in the day airlifted to capital Srinagar and admitted to the 92 Base Hospital at Indian Army’s 15 Corps headquarters for specialised treatment while the others received treatment in Anantnag’s Government-run Medical College Hospital. All are reported stable now.
Investigators suspect Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammed Lateef Bhat, a local from Khrewan in Kulgam and one of the few remaining active local militants in the Valley, was involved, possibly along with others. Bhat, who has carried a reward of ₹15 lakh, is also suspected in earlier attacks, including the July assault on two migrant labourers in the Kelam area and the killing of a police head constable in Anantnag the same month. CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh visited the district on Friday, reviewed the security situation, and interacted with field officers of the CRPF and J&K Police at Sadura in Anantnag to discuss intensifying counter-insurgency operations.
The two incidents, occurring within hours of each other on Wednesday, have heightened security alerts across both the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, with forces pursuing separate manhunts amid concerns over residual militant activity. End it
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