Srinagar, June 29, KDC: The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir on Monday said it has filed a 737-page chargesheet before a Special Court in Srinagar against former JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and four others in connection with the 1990 abduction and killing of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) staff nurse Sarla Bhat.
According to the SIA, the chargesheet has been filed before the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge, TADA/POTA and Special Judge designated under the NIA Act, Srinagar. The agency said the investigation was transferred to it by the Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, on March 18, 2024, following which it carried out a detailed probe.
The agency said that the 737-page chargesheet is based on oral testimonies, documentary records, forensic and ballistic reports, medical evidence, electronic material and extensive field investigations conducted during the course of the investigation.
According to the SIA, the case pertains to the alleged abduction and killing of Sarla Bhat, a nurse at SKIMS, Soura, who was killed on April 18, 1990. The agency said filing the chargesheet nearly 35 years after the incident marks a significant milestone in the investigation of one of the Valley’s long-pending terror-related cases and reflects its continued efforts to pursue such cases irrespective of the passage of time.
As per the chargesheet, the SIA has alleged that Sarla Bhat was abducted near SKIMS on April 18, 1990, subjected to torture and later shot dead in the Omer Colony area of Malbagh, Srinagar. The agency said the case remained unresolved for decades due to the prevailing security situation and an atmosphere of fear that discouraged witnesses from coming forward.
The SIA said that after reopening the case, investigators reconstructed the sequence of events with the help of protected witnesses, eyewitness accounts, forensic analysis, medical records and documentary evidence.
According to the chargesheet, the accused include Mohammad Yasin Malik, Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo. The SIA said Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo have since died, while Mohammad Yasin Malik is currently in judicial custody in another case. It further stated that proclamation proceedings have been initiated against Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, who the agency alleges has fled to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The SIA said offences invoked in the chargesheet include Sections 364, 341, 302 read with 34, 201 and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), relevant provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), 1987, and Sections 7 and 27 of the Indian Arms Act, 1959.
According to the agency, the investigation found that allegations portraying Sarla Bhat as an informer were baseless and were allegedly used as a pretext for her targeted killing. The SIA has alleged that the murder formed part of a broader campaign intended to spread fear and facilitate the displacement of members of the Kashmiri Pandit community during the early years of militancy.
The agency said the chargesheet is supported by oral and documentary evidence, forensic and ballistic reports, medical records and electronic material collected during the investigation. It maintained that filing the chargesheet reflects its commitment to investigating unresolved terror-related cases and bringing those allegedly involved before the judicial process in accordance with law. (KDC)
