SIA Raids 8 Locations in Srinagar in 35-Year-Old Case of Murdered Kashmiri Pandit Nurse
Srinagar 12 August :- The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Investigation Agency (SIA) conducted late-night raids at eight locations in Srinagar on Monday, reopening the investigation into the abduction and killing of Sarla Bhatt, a 27-year-old Kashmiri Pandit nurse, in April 1990.
Officials confirmed that no arrests or recoveries were made during the searches, which aimed to gather fresh evidence in the decades-old case.
Sarla Bhatt, who worked at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, was abducted from the Habba Khatoon Hostel on April 18, 1990. Her bullet-ridden body was discovered the next morning at Umar Colony in Mallabagh.
According to police sources, she was targeted by terrorists affiliated with the Banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), who left a note on her body falsely branding her as a police informant.
An FIR was registered at Nigeen Police Station, but the initial investigation failed to identify the perpetrators. The case was transferred to the SIA last year as part of the J-K administration’s push to revisit unresolved terror-related cases from the 1990s.
Police sources stated that the raids yielded “incriminating evidence” that could help uncover the full conspiracy behind Bhatt’s killing and deliver long-awaited justice to her family. The SIA’s renewed efforts reflect the government’s commitment to prosecuting those responsible for past atrocities in the region. Further investigations are underway