Srinagar raids revive memories of Sarla Bhat, a haunting chapter in Kashmiri Pandit exodus

NEW DELHI: More than three decades after the brutal killing of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday carried out multiple raids in Srinagar as part of its probe into the case.

Bhat, 27, hailed from Anantnag and worked as a nurse at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar’s Soura area. She was abducted from the institute’s hostel in 1990 and found dead the next day, her bullet-riddled body lying along a road in the Malbagh area of downtown Srinagar. A murder case was registered under at Nigeen police station.Officials said Tuesday's searches were conducted at several locations, including the residences of individuals formerly associated with the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Among them was the home of former JKLF leader Peer Noorul Haq Shah, also known as “Air Marshal”. The SIA was assisted by police and CRPF personnel during the operations.Investigators believe her killing was part of a larger attempt to drive out the Kashmiri Pandit community from tha Valley. Following her murder and a series of other targeted attacks, nearly the entire community fled the Valley, abandoning homes and properties—many of which were later looted, set ablaze, or seized through distress sales and encroachments.(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)