Srinagar, June 29 (IANS) More than 35 years after Kashmiri Pandit staff nurse Sarla Bhat was abducted, tortured and brutally murdered, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J&K Crime Branch said on Monday that it has finally filed a chargesheet in the case before a court of law.

SIA has filed a 737-page comprehensive chargesheet before the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge, TADA/POTA, Special Judge designated under the NIA Act, Srinagar, in the abduction, torture and brutal killing of Ms. Sarla Bhat, a staff nurse at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar. Sarla Bhat was killed by JKLF terrorists on April 18, 1990.

The case was transferred to SIA J&K on March 18, 2024, under the orders of the DGP, J&K. The voluminous chargesheet, painstakingly compiled after an exhaustive investigation, brings together a formidable body of oral, documentary, forensic, ballistic, medical and electronic evidence accumulated over decades and meticulously analysed by SIA Kashmir.

The filing of the chargesheet after nearly 35 years marks a historic milestone in the pursuit of justice for victims of terrorism and stands as one of the most significant breakthroughs in the investigation of legacy terror crimes in Jammu and Kashmir.

More importantly, the chargesheet sends a powerful and unequivocal message that time can never become a shield for terrorism. No matter how many years have elapsed, those responsible for terrorist atrocities will continue to remain answerable before the law.

The case demonstrates that while terrorism may delay justice through fear, intimidation and violence, it can never permanently defeat the rule of law. The matter relates to one of the most barbaric terrorist crimes committed during the early phase of terrorism in Kashmir.

Sarla Bhat was abducted from the vicinity of SKIMS on April 18, 1990, subjected to brutal torture and physical assault, and thereafter horrendously killed through automatic rifle fire at Omer Colony, Malbagh, Srinagar.

For decades, the case remained unresolved owing to the extraordinary circumstances prevailing during the peak years of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The atmosphere of fear, intimidation and terror created by terrorist organisations had severely impacted the ability of witnesses to come forward and disclose material facts.

Terrorist organisations had created an environment where silence was enforced through threats and violence, allowing many heinous crimes to remain buried beneath layers of fear and coercion.

The Sarla Bhat case became one such symbol of the dark chapter of terrorism that engulfed the Kashmir Valley. Yet neither the memory of the victim nor the quest for justice faded with time.

Upon being entrusted to SIA Kashmir in March 2024, the case was subjected to a comprehensive and scientific investigation.

Despite the lapse of more than three and a half decades, investigators painstakingly reconstructed the sequence of events through protected witness testimonies, independent eyewitness accounts, forensic and ballistic analysis, medical evidence, documentary records, electronic evidence and extensive field investigations.

The investigation has conclusively established that the killing of Sarla Bhat was not an isolated act of violence but part of a larger terrorist conspiracy orchestrated under the command and control of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

The investigation has revealed the involvement of Mohammad Yaseen Malik, then Chief Commander of JKLF, along with Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo in planning and executing the abduction and brutal killing.

While Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo are deceased, Mohammad Yaseen Malik is presently in judicial custody in another case.

Legal proceedings, including proclamation proceedings, have been initiated against absconding terrorist Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, described in the chargesheet as the man who pulled the trigger, who is believed to have exfiltrated to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The chargesheet establishes offences punishable under Sections 364, 341, 302 read with 34, 201 and 120-B of the RPC, Sections 3(2), 3(3), 4 and 6 of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA), and Sections 7 and 27 of the Indian Arms Act, 1959.

The investigation has further established that the allegation portraying Ms. Sarla Bhat as an “informer” was entirely false and constituted a fabricated pretext employed by terrorists to justify a premeditated assassination.

Evidence collected during the investigation demonstrates that the murder formed part of the JKLF’s systematic campaign of targeted terrorist violence intended to spread fear among innocent civilians, particularly members of the Kashmiri Pandit community, create conditions for their forced displacement from the Kashmir Valley and advance the secessionist agenda of the terrorist organisation.

The successful culmination of this investigation after 35 years is a powerful reminder that the passage of time does not erase criminal liability.

Terrorists, secessionists, overground workers and all those involved in terrorist conspiracies must understand that the law remains relentless in its pursuit of justice.

No amount of time, concealment or geographical distance can permanently shield perpetrators from accountability.

The filing of this 737-page chargesheet is not merely the conclusion of an investigation; it is a tribute to the memory of a victim who was denied justice for decades, a reaffirmation of the rule of law and a message of hope to countless victims of terrorism and their families.

It demonstrates that every victim matters, every crime will be investigated and every effort will be made to ensure that those responsible are brought before the justice system.

This landmark investigation stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of SIA Kashmir and the Government of India to uncover the truth behind even the oldest unresolved terrorist crimes and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

It sends a strong and unmistakable message that terrorism has no limitation period, justice has a long memory and the law will ultimately catch up with those who believe they can escape accountability through fear, violence or the passage of time.

SIA Kashmir remains steadfast in its resolve to investigate every act of terrorism with professionalism, perseverance and impartiality, reaffirming that no terrorist crime is too old to investigate, no victim too forgotten to seek justice for, and no perpetrator beyond the reach of the law.

–IANS

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