The body of a village defence guard with a bullet wound was found in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir a day after he went missing, police said on Tuesday.
His rifle was recovered from the spot, they said.
"The body of a VDG member, Ashok Kumar, with a bullet injury was found in the upper reaches of Chapper. However, it remains unclear whether he shot himself or was shot by someone else," a senior police officer told PTI.
After receiving information, a police team was rushed to the spot. The body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem. Kumar's rifle was found at the spot, the officer said.
The post-mortem report revealed that he was shot in the abdomen and the bullet was fired from his rifle, the officer added.
A case was registered, police said.