The deaths of two Jammu and Kashmir Police Special Police Officers in Kishtwar were followed by anger over how their bodies were brought home. Families and villagers said the officers’ remains arrived in a dumper truck without coffins, and alleged that residents had to arrange a stretcher and covering cloth themselves.
The officers and the reported ambush
The two officers were SPO Babi Chand, 57, Belt No. 920, and SPO Rashpal Kumar, 45, Belt No. 65. Both were from Kiyar village in the remote Dachhan area of Kishtwar district and were posted with the local police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) at Kiyar.
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, they left their camp to proceed towards a Temporary Operational Base (TOB) of the Army’s 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Dharna-Marwah / Basnan area for duty rotation and to relieve colleagues. Gunfire was reported in the forested area around the same time. Their mobile phones were initially reachable but later switched off.
Their bullet-riddled bodies were recovered on Thursday, November 12, between around 8 and 9 am, in the Dachhan forest / Dherna Top area, approximately two kilometres from where they had gone missing. One officer had a gunshot wound to the head and the other to the back; both had been shot multiple times.
An INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, along with magazines and ammunition, were missing and are believed to have been taken by the attackers. Empty cartridges of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing steel-core ammunition were recovered at the scene. The incident took place in mountainous terrain at an altitude of around 8,858 feet.
Police, Army and CRPF personnel launched a search and cordon operation. Six persons were subsequently detained in connection with the case.
Villagers allege disrespectful handling
On Friday, November 14, the officers’ bodies were brought to Kiyar village in a dumper truck without coffins. Residents alleged that no senior police officer accompanied the remains initially and that the authorities had not provided a stretcher. They said they obtained one from the Army and arranged white cloth to cover the bodies. Some accounts said the remains had been wrapped in hospital-type material or placed on wooden planks.
The manner of transport added to the grief of the families and villagers. Residents called it an insult to the officers, who had died while performing their duty.
Political response and final rites
Kishtwar BJP MLA Shagun Parihar condemned the handling of the bodies, saying the SPOs had been dishonoured and insulted. A video circulating on social media showed her confronting senior police officers and becoming emotional. She said senior officers arrived only after the matter was taken up with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Sunil Sharma, Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, also condemned what he described as negligence. He spoke directly to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, conveyed the anger and hurt of the families and local residents, and assured villagers that their concerns had been raised and appropriate action would be pursued. Sharma also questioned operational decisions, including the decision to send the SPOs across difficult terrain.
After the public outrage, the last rites were conducted with full honour, including a wreath-laying ceremony. Sunil Sharma, Shagun Parihar and others attended and paid tribute. Slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” were raised. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also paid tribute, saying the officers had laid down their lives in the line of duty.
Security forces have intensified operations to identify and neutralise those responsible. The incident has drawn attention to security challenges in Kishtwar’s remote upper reaches and to local concerns about the dignity accorded to personnel who die in service.
