Officials said the bodies of two policemen, showing bullet wounds, were discovered on Thursday in Kishtwar, a town about 220 kilometres (136 miles) southeast of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. The men had been reported missing in the same area the previous day, and locals said they heard gunshots early Thursday.
The discovery came a day after suspected rebels wounded three paramilitary troops in a separate attack. The back-to-back shootings have renewed security concerns, coming days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised a year without casualties among paramilitary forces in the disputed Himalayan region.
Police release few details on Kishtwar killings
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to journalists, confirmed the men had been shot. He told AFP their bodies bore bullet injuries and said the incident was under investigation, though he declined to assign blame. Police have not shared any further details about the shooting.
Opposition Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply anguished by the tragic loss” of the two policemen. Local legislator Shagun Parihar blamed “terrorists”, a term he used for rebels opposed to Indian rule, and said the attack would be “avenged as soon as possible”.
Gunmen target CRPF checkpoint in Kulgam district
In a separate incident on Wednesday, gunmen riding motorbikes opened fire on members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at a security checkpoint in Kulgam district, wounding three before fleeing, according to police. The attacks came days after Modi celebrated zero CRPF casualties over a year, which he described as the first such period in 47 years.
“A ZERO that speaks volumes,” Modi posted on X. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both claiming the Muslim-majority region in full. Rebel groups have waged a decades-long insurgency seeking independence or merger with Pakistan, and India regularly accuses Pakistan of arming and training them, an allegation Islamabad denies.
