SIA conducts raids in Srinagar over 1990 killing of KP woman

The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Tuesday conducted multiple raids in Srinagar as part of its ongoing investigation into the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit woman, who was murdered by terrorists 35 years ago.

According to a statement issued by the agency, exhaustive searches were carried out at eight locations across Srinagar district in connection with the case, which was originally registered in 1990 and is now being re-investigated by SIA Kashmir.

The case pertains to the killing of Sarla Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit and nurse at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), who was abducted and killed by militants belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Bhat, originally from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was among the few Kashmiri Pandits, who had chosen to stay in the Valley even after the eruption of terrorism.

She was abducted from her hostel and later found murdered in Srinagar.

On Tuesday, the SIA described the raids as “strategic” and said they had resulted in the recovery of “incriminating evidence” which could help uncover the broader terrorist conspiracy. “The ultimate aim is to deliver justice to the victim and her family,” the statement said.

Among the locations searched was the residence of Yasin Malik, the banned JKLF chief who is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Malik was one of the earliest commanders of JKLF who took up arms in 1989.

This is the second case being re-investigated by the SIA. In 2023, the agency reopened the probe into the assassination of retired judge Neelkanth Ganjoo, who had sentenced JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat to death in 1968 for the murder of police inspector Amar Chand. Bhat was hanged in 1984, days after JKLF terrorists killed Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in the UK. SIA had also appealed to anyone with knowledge of the case to come forward and share any information that could aid the investigation, whether directly or indirectly.