4 days ago
Kashmiri Pandit Sarla Bhat's murder case reopened after 35 years: Know who was she and what's next
Sarla Bhat, the Kashmiri Pandit who went missing in April, 1990
Kashmiri Pandit Murder Case: The 1990 Kashmiri Pandit Woman Murder sase of Sarla Bhat has been reopened after almost 35 years. This action prompted several raids on the former members of JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front), which is a banned organisation now.
Sarla Bhat was a nurse in Srinagar. She disappeared in April 1990, and her body was found in a mutilated state after some days. The authorities mention that the restoration of the Bhat's brutal murder case that led to multiple raid attacks may disclose new information and details about historical assaults. Who was Sarla Bhat?
Sarla was a young woman residing in Kashmir's Anantnag who served as a nurse at the reputed Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in the city of Srinagar.
In the middle of April 1990, she went missing from her hostel. Some local bodies claim that she was forcefully dragged out of the hostel premises by some separatists. After four days, the young pandit woman's body was found in a brutal state. The post-mortem report represented the suffering of rapes and assaults she underwent. What is the connection between Bhat's murder and the raids?
It is believed that the culprits of this brutality are linked to the now-banned JKLF. As a result, raids were conducted at eight different locations to locate the individuals linked to the organization.
The search operation was targeted at searching for houses of persons named Peer Noorul Haq Shah, Javaid Ahmad Mir, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Bashir Ahmad Gojri, and many others. One such residence was that of Yasin Malik, ex-chief of JKLF, who at present is imprisoned at Tihar Jail for separatist activities. Why has the case reopened after 35 years?
Sarla Bhat's murder case can reveal important information to understand the historical crimes committed against the Kashmiri Pandits back then. Authorities are investigating the matter under a case linked to sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and the Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.
