VHardeep Jamwal, JNM Journalist, Jammu
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir has filed a detailed 737-page charge sheet in a special court in Srinagar regarding the high-profile 1990 case involving the abduction, torture, and murder of Sarla Bhat, a staff nurse at SKIMS. The agency has termed the filing of the charge sheet in this nearly 35-year-old case a major achievement in the investigation of pending terror-related matters.
According to the SIA, the case was handed over to the agency on March 18, 2024, following orders from the Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, investigating officers completed a comprehensive probe based on witness statements, documentary evidence, medical records, forensic and ballistic reports, electronic evidence, and other technical and circumstantial proofs. Based on these findings, the 737-page charge sheet was prepared and submitted to the court.
The investigation revealed that Sarla Bhat was abducted on April 18, 1990, from near SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar. It is alleged that following her abduction, she was subjected to inhumane torture and was later shot dead in the Omar Colony, Malbagh area of Srinagar.
In its investigation, the SIA has claimed that the entire incident was part of a well-planned conspiracy by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). The charge sheet details the roles of several individuals, including the then JKLF chief Yasin Malik, Khurshid Ahmed Chalkoo, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yusuf Sofi (alias Idris), and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo.
According to the investigative agency, three of the accused in the case—Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yusuf Sofi, and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo—have since passed away. Yasin Malik is currently in judicial custody in connection with another case, while legal proceedings have been initiated against the absconding accused, Khurshid Ahmed Chalkoo.
The SIA has charged the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), TADA, and the Arms Act. The agency states that the allegation—that Sarla Bhat was an informant for a security agency—was found to be baseless during the investigation. According to the SIA, this claim was a fabricated story intended to justify the murder, and no evidence supporting it was found during the probe.
The SIA remarked that the filing of a charge sheet in this case, despite the passage of over three decades, sends a clear message that the wheels of justice do not stop turning for terror-related crimes. The agency affirmed that regardless of the time elapsed, efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice will continue unabated.
This charge sheet is being viewed as a significant step towards investigating long-pending terror-related cases in Jammu and Kashmir and delivering justice to the victim’s families.
