‘Pop Out His Eyes, Chop Off A Leg’: Sarla Bhat’s Cousin Says Death Isn’t Enough For Yasin Malik

New Delhi: Soon after the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) filed a fresh chargesheet in the 1990 Sarla Bhat murder case, a relative of the slain Kashmiri Pandit nurse made an emotional appeal for justice, saying the family had waited decades for accountability.

Speaking to Republic, PK Bhat, Sarla Bhat’s cousin, said the family had regained hope after the SIA reopened the case last year and filed a comprehensive 737-page chargesheet naming former JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and four others as accused.

In a strongly worded reaction, Bhat said, “Yasin Malik should not be killed; he should be left with eyes taken out and one leg chopped.” The remark reflects the family’s anger over the killing, though any punishment in the case would be determined by the courts under the law.

‘Now We Have Hope’

“Last year there was movement in the case when the SIA took it over. Now we have hope because the chargesheet has been filed. We never had hope that justice would be served, but now we are hopeful,”

He alleged that governments before 2014 had failed to act decisively and claimed that the policy approach toward militancy changed after 2014.

Bhat also recalled personal memories of Sarla Bhat, saying she had stayed with their family for a month during his sister’s wedding and was known for her dedication as a nurse.

What the SIA Chargesheet Says

Key findings from the fresh probe:

• 737-page chargesheet filed before the designated NIA court in Srinagar.
• Yasin Malik named as a key conspirator along with four others.
• Case reopened in August last year using fresh evidence, eyewitness testimonies and forensic findings.
• Sarla Bhat was allegedly abducted near SKIMS, Srinagar, on April 18, 1990.
• Investigators say she was tortured, shot dead, and her body dumped in Omer Colony, Malbagh.
• Three of the accused have since died; proceedings continue against surviving accused.

Family Recalls 1990 Horror

Bhat said the family’s home was attacked during the turmoil of the early 1990s and claimed they were forced to flee. He alleged that Sarla Bhat was kidnapped while returning from work near Soura Hospital and that the family was later allowed only to collect her ashes.

“Our house was attacked and a blast was carried out to throw us out. Her brother ran for kilometres barefoot and then came here,”

He also said the family suspected that some of Sarla Bhat’s colleagues may have had knowledge of the crime, though he did not provide evidence for the claim.

One of the Valley’s Most High-Profile Killings

Sarla Bhat, a staff nurse at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), was among the last Kashmiri Pandit women to continue working in the Valley during the peak of militancy in 1990.

Her abduction and killing became one of the most widely remembered cases from that period, which also saw the large-scale exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

With the filing of the fresh chargesheet, investigators say the case is now moving toward trial proceedings against the surviving accused, raising hopes among the victim’s relatives that a decades-old case may finally see judicial closure.

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