Aug 3, 2025: A Sub-Divisional Magistrate and his son were killed, while his wife and two others were wounded, when a boulder hit the vehicle they were travelling in in Reasi district, police said on Friday.
Rajinder Singh Rana was traveling with his family from Dharmari to his native Pattian village on Thursday night in the Salukh Ikhter Nallah area. A large boulder, part of a landslide, struck their vehicle, killing Rana, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service officer, and his son on the spot.
An official stated that the critically injured were referred to the district hospital in Reasi following primary treatment at a nearby hospital. Rana, a 2011 batch officer, was given the position of SDM for Ramnagar.
Two Army men died earlier this week when a boulder fell on an army vehicle in eastern Ladakh. The SDM's loved ones received his condolences from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He stated on X that he was "extremely saddened by the landslide incident in Dharmari, Reasi, in which we have lost an outstanding officer, Rajinder Singh, SDM Ramnagar, and his son." Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo also expressed grief at the incident.
Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister, expressed her shock at the deaths and expressed solidarity with the survivors.