Yasin Malik named in chargesheet for 1990 murder of nurse Sarla Bhat

Nearly 36 years after the abduction and murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat shook the Valley during the early months of 1990, the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Monday filed a 737-page chargesheet naming JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik as the alleged mastermind behind the crime.Filed before the TADA Court in Srinagar, the chargesheet alleges that the killing was not an isolated act of terror but part of a wider campaign of targeted violence carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) against the Kashmiri Pandit community in 1990 to spread fear and facilitate its mass exodus from the Valley. n18oc_india

KASHMIRI leader Mohammad Yasin Malik, who has been imprisoned by India on terrorism charges for more than four years now, has now been implicated in the 36-year-old murder case of a nurse in Srinagar, Indian media reported on Monday. Malik, who is the chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was named by India’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) as one of five men charge sheeted for the killing of Sarla Bhat, who was killed in 1990. The investigation into her murder, which went cold several years ago, was reopened by former lieutenant governor of India-held Kashmir Manoj Sinha to appease local pressure groups. Earlier, in 2017, the Indian Supreme Court had declined to reopen several Kashmiri Pandit murder cases, citing that the mass killings took place nearly three decades prior, and it was difficult to gather reliable evidence and witnesses, the Indian Express reported. In 2023, Kashmiri pandit groups approached Sinha, who directed the police to prepare a list of killings from the 1990s. The Sarla Bhat case was subsequently transferred to the SIA in March 2024 for a fresh probe, according to the Hindustan Times. Investigators submit 737-page charge sheet naming Yasin Malik and six others, three of whom are now deceased In a statement, the SIA said the investigation was based on oral, documentary, forensic, ballistic, medical and electronic evidence collected and analysed over the years. Apart from Malik, the 737-page charge sheet names Khursheed Ahmad Chalkoo, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Ghulam Mohammad Taploo and Mohammad Yousuf Sofi as accused. According to the Hindustan Times, three of the accused are now dead, while Mr Malik has been languishing in Tihar jail in connection with separate trumped up terror charges since 2019. Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2026

Nearly 36 years after the abduction, assault, and murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has filed a 737-page chargesheet in a significant development.The chargesheet names JKLF chief Yasin Malik as the alleged mastermind behind the 1990 crime, which took place during the early phase of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. The case is considered one of the most tragic incidents involving the targeted killing of members of the Kashmiri Pandit community. n18oc_breaking-newsn18oc_indiaNews18 Mobile App - https://onelink.to/desc-youtube

Justice for Sarla Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit nurse brutally murdered 36 years ago, appears to be on the horizon. The State Investigation Agency has charged Yasin Malik, the leader of the banned JKLF, along with four accomplices for her 1990 abduction and murder. This groundbreaking chargesheet, resulting from a meticulous investigation, sends a strong message that accountability for violence will not diminish with time.

Nurse Sarla Bhat's murder formed part of an organised campaign of targeted killings directed against the Kashmiri Pandit community by Yasin Malik's JKLF.

The State Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet naming Yasin Malik as the main accused in the 1990 murder of nurse Sarla Bhat.