Security forces have begun a joint search in the mountainous Dachhan area to locate two missing officers.
Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) went missing from the higher reaches of Dachhan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Wednesday, according to The Hindu. The missing personnel have been identified as Babi Chand and Rashpal Kumar, who were posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village.
The officers were travelling from the Kiyar camp toward an Army post at Dharna-Marwah when they did not arrive at their destination. While their mobile phones were initially reachable, they were later switched off. One report suggested the officers went missing after gunshots were heard in the area, though no police official has confirmed this.
A joint search operation has been initiated by the police and the Army's Rashtriya Rifles. Security teams are currently deployed in the difficult, mountainous forest terrain to establish the whereabouts of the officers and the circumstances of their disappearance.
Officials stated it is premature to link the disappearance to militant activity until facts emerge. The district has seen various terror-related incidents, with five people, including four terrorists and one Army soldier, killed in such incidents in 2026.
