Overview
- The two Special Police Officers, identified as Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), failed to reach an Army post while travelling from their Kiyar camp to the Dharna‑Marwah post on Wednesday.
- Their mobile phones were initially reachable and later switched off, and local reports said firing was heard in the forest at about 3:30 p.m.
- Police and the Army's Rashtriya Rifles launched a large joint search that has been widened with reinforcements and specialised teams using drones and sniffer dogs.
- Officials have said it is premature to link the disappearance to militant activity and said investigators are containing the area and seeking local information to establish what happened.
- Kishtwar's remote, forested terrain and a recent history of counter‑insurgency operations have complicated searches and raised local concern about security and the effect on residents and tourism.