Wandhama Massacre Probe Revived, SIA To Probe Hizbul And LeT Role In Killing Of 23 Kashmiri Pandits

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency has reopened the Wandhama massacre case, reviving the pursuit of justice for 23 Kashmiri Pandits killed in Ganderbal on January 25, 1998.

On that winter night, terrorists disguised in military uniforms stormed Wandhama village, shooting men, women, and children before setting homes and a temple ablaze.

Fourteen-year-old Vinod Kumar Dhar alias Ashu survived by hiding behind a pile of dried cow dung, while his parents, siblings, relatives, and neighbors were murdered.

Despite a high-profile visit by then Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, the initial investigation collapsed within months. By June 1998, the case was declared “untraced,” leaving families without closure.

However, the SIA’s fresh inquiry places Vinod’s statements at the core, naming Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, including commander Abdul Hamid Gada, who was killed in 2000.

“We lived with silence for decades. Justice must not be delayed again,” said locals in Wandhama.

The agency is now deploying forensic audits and witness accounts to build a stronger case against surviving “over-ground” associates who allegedly provided intelligence to the killers

Officials stress that the reopening is not symbolic alone but part of a wider campaign to revisit long-shelved cases of minority-targeted violence.

Earlier this month, raids were conducted at nine locations linked to the 1990 murder of poet Virendra Kaul and his son. A detailed 737-page charge sheet was also filed against JKLF members, including Yasin Malik, in the abduction and killing of nurse Sarla Bhat. These developments underline that decades-old crimes can still stand trial.

Investigations into the assassinations of BJP leader Tika Lal Taploo and Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo have also gained pace. Taploo was shot dead at his Srinagar home in 1989, while Justice Ganjoo was assassinated on Hari Singh High Street for sentencing JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat to death.

However, officials added that the Wandhama reopening carries particular weight. It is seen as an attempt to restore faith among Kashmir’s Pandit community that justice, though delayed, can still be delivered.

“Justice delayed has scarred generations, but reopening Wandhama gives hope that memory will finally meet accountability,” said another local.