Jammu, Nov 13 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday paid tributes to two SPOs, who were killed in a terror attack in the remote Dachhan area of Kishtwar district.
The bullet-riddled bodies of the two Special Police Officers (SPO)-- Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45) -- were recovered early Thursday, a day after they went missing from the remote Dachhan area.
The service weapons of the slain SPOs, an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle along with some magazines and ammunition, were missing and are believed to have been taken away by terrorists.
Empty cartridges of Pakistani-origin armour-piercing steel-core ammunition were recovered from the scene.
In a post on X, Sinha said, "I am deeply grieved by the tragic loss of the brave personnel of Jammu and Kashmir Police, who laid down their lives in line of duty at Kishtwar. I strongly condemn the cowardly attack".
"Their courage, unwavering dedication and selfless service to the nation will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of immense grief. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them in solidarity," the Lt Governor said.
The preliminary investigation ruled out abduction of the two SPOs before their killing, the officials said.
The incident occurred at an altitude of 8,858 feet between Deharna and Kiyar villages, while the two SPOs were heading to a post at Basnand, the officials said.
They said a massive operation is underway to identify, track and neutralise the assailants.
Posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village in Dachhan, they went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp to an Army post for patrolling duty at Deharna-Marwah.
The two SPOs were locals and were aware of the topography of the area, the official said.
Kiyar is located in the high-altitude Dachhan valley at an average regional elevation of roughly 2,880 metres (9,460 feet). Deharna, situated at an elevation of 6,560 to 7,220 feet, lies about 14 km from the Marwah tehsil headquarters and 30 to 50 km from Kishtwar town. It lacks direct all-weather road connectivity.
While Kishtwar is located 210 km from winter capital of Jammu, the area where the incident took place is further located 50 km in mountainous region.
Director General Police Nalin Prabhat visited Kishtwar district headquarters on Thursday evening to review the situation, while Inspector General of police, Jammu range, Tejinder Singh is likely to visit the area later in the day, the officials said.
Security forces continued the search operation for third day to identify and apprehend the attackers involved in the incident.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)