Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir BJP on Tuesday welcomed the filing of the chargesheet by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) in the 1990 killing of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, saying it has revived hope among victim families that justice can still be achieved.
The SIA on Monday filed a more than 700-page chargesheet naming banned JKLF chief Yasin Malik as the prime accused in the kidnapping and killing of Bhat in April 1990 by terrorists.
The SIA, which reopened the case after it was handed over in 2024, filed the chargesheet before a designated NIA court in Srinagar, nearly 36 years after Bhat, a nurse at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, was found dead in downtown Srinagar.
BJP spokesperson Rajni Sethi said the impartial investigation of long-pending cases was a welcome step towards justice for the Kashmiri Pandit community. She said many innocent Pandits were deliberately targeted during the early years of terrorism, with several falsely labelled as government or police informers before being killed.
The violence, the BJP leader said, was aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear that forced the community to flee its homeland. She added that many families are still awaiting justice for the loss of their loved ones.
Referring to Bhat’s case, Sethi said it remains one of the most significant and painful incidents for the Kashmiri Pandit community.
“The recent action by investigative agencies in the nearly 36-year-old case has revived hope among victim families that justice can still be achieved,” she said and expressed confidence that the judicial process would help uncover the truth and provide long-awaited relief to the victim’s family.
She emphasised that the murder case is not merely the story of one family but a symbol of the suffering endured by countless families during the years of terrorism.
“Many incidents from that period were not properly investigated or gradually faded from public attention,” she said, stressing the need for impartial, transparent, and fact-based investigations into all such cases to ensure justice for affected families and to establish an accurate historical record.
Sethi appealed to displaced Kashmiri Pandit families whose relatives were victims of murder, abduction, persecution or other terror-related crimes to come forward with any available facts, documents and evidence to assist the investigating agencies.
Appreciating the challenging work undertaken by investigative agencies in reopening decades-old cases, she said such investigations require dedication and perseverance but remain essential for ensuring accountability and upholding the rule of law.
Sethi expressed hope that wherever credible evidence exists, those responsible for crimes committed during the period of terrorism would be brought before the courts.
She said the truth behind many unresolved cases will emerge in the coming years.
“While justice may have been delayed, every effort to uncover the truth reflects the nation’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and the dignity of victims,” she said.
