Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 12 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma on Thursday said that the old terror-supporting network in the region had not been completely dismantled. He asserted that remnants of the ecosystem supporting terrorism were still present, after the bullet-riddled bodies of two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered in Kishtwar district.
Terming the killing of the two SPOs extremely unfortunate, BJP leader Sharma alleged that terrorists had kidnapped the personnel while they were travelling through a dense forest in the remote Dachhan belt. He said the incident showed that terror elements, despite being close to elimination, were still attempting to make their presence felt.
"Look, this is extremely unfortunate. Peace is gradually being established in Jammu and Kashmir, yet frustrated elements—frustrated terrorists—carry out such acts just to signal their presence.
"Yesterday, two of our SPOs were travelling—from Dherna towards Kiad—through a very dense forest. Terrorists kidnapped them in that dense forest, and now reports confirm that both have been martyred. Their bodies have been recovered. We are currently on our way there—myself, the MLA Shagun Parihar, and our district president. We are heading to the site to assess the ground situation," Sharma said.
He said the incident was a matter of concern and that he, along with Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar and the district president, was heading to the spot to assess the situation.
"It is clear that these terrorists—who were nearly on the verge of being wiped out—are still making their presence felt. This is a matter of some concern for us," he added.
Asked whether an over-ground worker (OGW) network was re-emerging in the Valley, particularly in Kishtwar, Sharma said he would not describe it as the establishment of a major new network, but maintained that the existing network had not been completely dismantled.
"I wouldn't say that a major new network has been established; rather, the old network has not yet been completely dismantled. And I believe that the ecosystem which was supporting terrorism here—that ecosystem, in some form or another, is still present. This is what has allowed them to carry out an incident like this. But whatever remnants remain, they too will certainly be buried," he said.
The bullet-riddled bodies of the two SPOs, identified as Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), were recovered on Thursday morning, a day after they went missing in the remote Dachhan belt.
The two personnel were posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village in Dachhan. They had gone missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah.
Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar also expressed grief over the killings, saying the bodies of the two personnel were recovered at around 8 am and 9 am, respectively.
"Regarding the incident in which two SPOs (Special Police Officers) were reportedly killed—what are your thoughts? It is a truly tragic incident. Two of our SPOs from the southern region have been killed. They had gone missing last night, and their bodies were recovered this morning—one around 8:00 AM and the other around 9:00 AM. It is deeply saddening," Parihar said.
Officials said the service weapons of the slain personnel were not found, raising suspicions of a possible militant angle in the incident.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Kulgam district, a massive cordon and search operation (CASO) continued for nearly 17 hours on Thursday after unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on CRPF personnel deployed at a security checkpoint in Nowpora Akhran on Wednesday.
Three CRPF personnel were injured in the firing, which took place at around 2:15 pm. The attackers opened fire on the security personnel before fleeing the spot. The injured personnel were shifted to a hospital in Anantnag district for treatment. (ANI)
“Old terror network not completely dismantled”: J-K LoP Sunil Sharma on SPO killings
