More than 35 years after the brutal killing of 27-year-old Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, the Jammu & Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has renewed efforts to deliver long-awaited justice. On Tuesday, coordinated raids were conducted across eight locations in Srinagar, targeting residences linked to former JKLF figures, including ex-leader Peer Noorul Haq Shah (alias “Air Marshal”) and Yasin Malik
Who Was Sarla Bhat?
Sarla Bhat was a dedicated nurse at SKIMS Soura, one of the few Kashmiri Pandits who refused to flee the Valley amid militant threats in the early 1990s. On April 18, 1990, she was abducted from her hostel and found dead the following morning in Mallabagh, her body bearing bullet wounds and a note branding her a “police informant.” Both torture and sexual violence were suspected
Why This Re-Opening Matters
This reopening of the case reflects the administration’s broader effort to revisit unresolved terror-era crimes. Many cases involving violence against Kashmiri Pandits, including the high-profile murder of Judge Neelkanth Ganjoo, have now been taken up after decades
What the Raids Revealed
SIA officials confirm the recovery of “incriminating evidence” — including documents and digital data — that could help piece together the conspiracy behind Sarla’s killing. Party leaders, including BJP figures, hailed the development. One commented that Sarla’s “soul will finally rest” and condemned her killing as part of a larger ethnic cleansing campaign driving the Pandit exodus from the Valley (
Why This Revival Resonates Deeper
- “Justice Delayed, Not Denied”: The SIA’s reopening underscores an overdue reckoning with historical atrocities.
- Symbolic Resolve: Revisiting such cases sends a strong message that time won’t shield perpetrators from accountability.
- Persistent Memory: For the Pandit community—and the nation—the reopening renews hope that their trauma will not be forgotten.
As the investigation unfolds, it remains a poignant reminder of the dark chapters of the 1990 exodus—and a measure of the state’s commitment to finally confront them.
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