Srinagar: In a major development in one of Kashmir’s oldest unresolved terror cases, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir has filed a 737-page chargesheet naming jailed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik as the alleged mastermind behind the 1990 abduction and murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat. The chargesheet, submitted before a special TADA/POTA court in Srinagar, marks a significant milestone in the investigation of a crime that remained unresolved for over three decades.
According to the SIA, 27-year-old Sarla Bhat, a staff nurse at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar, was abducted on April 18, 1990, while returning from work. Investigators allege that she was subsequently assaulted, tortured and shot dead with an automatic rifle in the Malbagh area of Srinagar. The agency contends that her killing was not an isolated act but part of a broader campaign of targeted violence intended to spread fear among the Kashmiri Pandit community during the early years of militancy in the Valley.
The chargesheet identifies Yasin Malik, who was then serving as the Chief Commander of the JKLF, as the individual who allegedly ordered the killing. Along with Malik, the document names Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo as the alleged gunman responsible for carrying out the murder. Three other accused, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo, have also been named in the conspiracy. Officials said the three are deceased, while Chalkoo is believed to have fled to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where proclamation proceedings have reportedly been initiated against him. Malik is already serving a life sentence in a separate terror-financing case.
According to investigators, Sarla Bhat continued to work at SKIMS even as targeted killings forced many Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley in early 1990. The SIA alleges that senior JKLF operatives suspected she might be sharing information about injured militants receiving treatment at the hospital with security agencies. The investigation, however, states that there was no evidence to support these allegations and describes the claim that she acted as an informer as entirely fabricated.
The chargesheet further links the alleged conspiracy to a police operation conducted on April 8, 1990, in Narwara, during which security forces targeted top JKLF operatives. Investigators claim that Yasin Malik, who allegedly escaped after being injured during the operation, came to believe that information about militant activities had been leaked from within SKIMS. The SIA maintains that this suspicion ultimately led to the decision to target Sarla Bhat.
Officials stated that the case was transferred to the SIA in March 2024 under the directions of the Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir. The investigation involved reconstructing events dating back more than 36 years by tracing former hospital staff, interviewing journalists who had covered militancy during that period, examining documentary records, collecting witness testimonies and analysing forensic and ballistic evidence.
According to the agency, several witnesses, including elderly individuals who had remained silent for decades, were persuaded to come forward during the investigation. Police teams also visited Tihar Jail to question Yasin Malik in connection with the case.
Investigators said forensic analysis strengthened the prosecution’s case. A ballistic examination reportedly concluded that cartridge cases recovered from the crime scene had been fired from the same 7.62×39 mm firearm, corroborating eyewitness accounts that automatic rifle fire was used in the killing.
The chargesheet also cites electronic evidence, including a recorded television interview of former militant Farooq Ahmad Dar, also known as Bitta Karate. According to the investigators, the recording has been preserved in compliance with evidentiary requirements under Section 65-B of the Indian Evidence Act and has been included to support the allegation that targeted killings were carried out under an organised command structure within the JKLF.
The SIA has invoked multiple provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), including offences related to murder, abduction, wrongful restraint, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Relevant provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and the Arms Act have also been applied.
Officials described the filing of the chargesheet as a major step towards accountability in long-pending terror-related cases from the 1990s. According to the investigation, the evidence collected establishes a consistent chain linking the accused to the alleged conspiracy and supports the conclusion that the murder formed part of a systematic campaign of violence targeting members of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
The investigation has also reportedly generated fresh leads in several other unresolved cases from the same period, including the killings of Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, lawyer Tikka Lal Taploo and poet Sarwanand Kaul Premi. Authorities indicated that further investigations and additional chargesheets in these cases may follow.
The killing of Sarla Bhat occurred during one of the most turbulent phases in Jammu and Kashmir’s history, when widespread militant violence and targeted attacks prompted the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. Community organisations have long sought legal action and accountability in cases linked to that period, with many families waiting decades for investigations to progress.
The filing of the chargesheet does not constitute a finding of guilt. The allegations against the accused will now be examined by the court during the course of judicial proceedings. Nevertheless, the development represents a significant legal step in revisiting one of the Valley’s most prominent unresolved terror cases and reflects renewed efforts by investigative agencies to pursue accountability in decades-old crimes.
