Kishtwar SPO killings: J&K Congress raises Army misidentification angle, mosque imam seeks apology from BJP MLA

The killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district has triggered a fresh political controversy, with the Congress raising the possibility that the men may have been shot by Army personnel after being mistaken for militants. The party has demanded a high-level, impartial investigation into all possible angles, including terrorism and alleged misidentification by security forces.

The controversy has also taken a communal turn following allegations by Kishtwar BJP MLA Shagun Parihar that announcements about the planned killings were made from a mosque. Rejecting the claim, the Imam of Jamia Masjid Kishtwar said the allegation was baseless and urged the MLA to apologise if her remarks had been made inadvertently.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two SPOs, suggesting that they could have been mistaken for militants because they were wearing civilian clothes.

The bullet-riddled bodies of SPO Babi (Bobby) Chand, 57, and SPO Rashpal Kumar, 45, both residents of Kiyar village in Dachhan and attached to the local Special Operations Group (SOG), were recovered from a forested area on November 12.

The two personnel had gone missing a day earlier while travelling from their police post at Kiyar towards a temporary operating base of the Army’s 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Deharna-Marwah belt. Their service weapons, an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, were also missing.

Officials have been treating the incident as a suspected terrorist attack, with search operations launched to track down those responsible.

Speaking to reporters, Karra said he had received details from the Congress district president in Kishtwar. According to the account shared with him, the two SPOs had gone hunting with their weapons and crossed security pickets without difficulty while heading out.

However, they were allegedly fired upon while returning because they were dressed in civilian clothes and were mistaken for militants, Karra said.

He maintained that this was one possible explanation and called for a comprehensive investigation rather than accepting only the militancy-related narrative being advanced by the BJP.

The controversy intensified after BJP MLA Shagun Parihar alleged that announcements had been made from a mosque in the Warwan area calling for the killing of Hindus or alerting terrorists to the movements of the two SPOs.

Speaking at the spot in the presence of locals and officials, Parihar questioned why those allegedly responsible for issuing threats had not been arrested.

“When they said there that ‘we will kill’, why have those people still not been caught till now? After that, an announcement is made from the mosque. Someone makes an announcement that ‘we will kill someone’. Why have they still not been caught till now?” she asked.

She also alleged that information was being shared during meetings where the targeting of local SPOs had been planned.

Parihar demanded the deployment of 15 to 20 SPOs from the same village to strengthen security. She also sought an inquiry into officers who allegedly deployed SPOs from outside the area without proper orders, accusing local officers of failing to protect their personnel.

The MLA further suggested that the matter be taken up with the Lieutenant Governor.

Strongly rejecting Parihar’s allegation, the Imam of Jamia Masjid Kishtwar said no such announcement had been made from the mosque and described the claim as “completely wrong and based on a lie”.

Addressing a gathering outside the mosque, he said religious places were meant for worship and could not be associated with calls for violence.

“Mosques are meant for the worship of Allah. The call to prayer is raised from here, and mosques are houses of mercy,” he said.

The Imam added that even a murderer entering a mosque could not be punished inside it. He said the community had consistently condemned wrongdoing, including the earlier attack on the Amarnath Yatra, and maintained that Islam did not permit such acts.

Describing Kishtwar as a sensitive district, he warned that allegations of this nature could damage communal harmony and brotherhood. He called on the administration and security agencies to investigate the killings thoroughly and punish those found guilty.

“We respect the MLA of Kishtwar, who is a daughter of Kishtwar. But it is not appropriate for her to say that an announcement was made from the mosque. She should name which mosque and who made the announcement. The administration and agencies are present here, do they not know?” he asked.

The Imam said that if the words had slipped out by mistake, the MLA should apologise, stressing that people could make mistakes but should remain mindful of the consequences of their statements.

He reiterated that the mosque had consistently advocated brotherhood and the rights of neighbours, irrespective of religion, and urged all sides to prioritise peace, development and humanity in Kishtwar.

Karra also termed Parihar’s allegation “highly condemnable”. Pointing out that the Congress district president in Kishtwar was a Hindu, he said he had advised him to challenge the BJP MLA’s statement.

Karra added that if the alleged announcement from a mosque could not be established, Parihar should resign.

The National Conference has also criticised the MLA’s remarks, accusing her of bringing mosques and communal polarisation into an already sensitive incident.

Meanwhile, official accounts continue to treat the killings as a suspected terror attack. Empty cartridges of suspected Pakistani-origin ammunition were recovered from the site, and a massive search operation has been launched to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.

The Congress’s suggestion that the SPOs may have been victims of mistaken identity involving Army personnel has added another dimension to the investigation.

Security forces continue to conduct operations across the high-altitude Dachhan-Marwah forest belt as political parties trade allegations over the killings and the handling of the case.