Several detained day after terror hideout found in Kishtwar forest

A day after a well-stocked kitchen, using multiple local food brands and believed to have been used by Pakistani terrorists, was uncovered in a forest area of Kishtwar district, security forces on Tuesday detained several individuals for questioning on suspicion of helping terrorists. A search operation was launched on specific intelligence in the Singhpura area of Chhatru in Kishtwar on Sunday. During the operation, eight Army personnel were injured after hiding Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists hurled grenades at them. One Special Forces commando was killed in the incident.

After reinforcements were rushed in and searches intensified, a hideout-cum-kitchen used by terrorists, with partially cooked food, was found deep inside the forest on Monday. Locally sourced rice, wheat flour, a gas burner, an LPG cylinder and other items were recovered, suggesting local logistical support to the Pakistani terrorists. The terrorists, however, managed to escape into the woods before security forces reached the hideout.

Senior officers, including Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti, and Inspector General of CRPF, Jammu, R Gopala Krishna Rao, visited the encounter site and are coordinating the ongoing search operations.

Officials said that given the hideout’s location at an altitude of around 12,000 feet, it would not have been possible for the terrorists to transport heavy stones used to construct the structure. The procurement of ration bags, food items and a gas cylinder would also not have been possible without local assistance, they added.

“There is local support in the form of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) who are helping the terrorists by arranging logistics,” officials said.

Questions have also been raised about local policing, with concerns over how a well-fortified hideout could be built deep inside a forest and supplied with food without detection.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid said that while security forces were fighting terrorists bravely in difficult terrain, “basic policing is lacking”.

“There was a full-fledged kitchen in the fortified hideout that had desi ghee, rice and eggs that have not come from Pakistan. Some local has helped the terrorists and finding this out is the responsibility of the local police. In earlier days, to find a criminal, the local SHO used to camp in the area of crime and question suspects, and this is what is needed at present,” Vaid said in a video statement.

He said that locals supporting terrorists should also be treated as terrorists. “However, I think something is missing in basic policing and there is a need to go to the grass root,” the former DGP said.

Last week, similar hideouts with food supplies and woollen clothing were found in the Billawar area of Kathua district. Officials suspect terror groups have established a well-knit network of OGWs in recent years.

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Courtesy: The Tribune -21-Jan-2026