BJP demands stringent punishment for all accused in Sarla Bhat kidnapping, killing case

Srinagar, Jul 2 : The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Thursday demanded that all accused in the kidnapping and killing of young Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat in April 1990 should be put on trial and given stringent punishment to ensure complete justice.

Addressing a press conference here, J-K BJP’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said Bhat was Kashmir’s daughter and she represented Kashmir’s composite culture.

“She, her family, the community and the whole of Kashmir had to wait for 36 years for justice. The justice is not complete; it is incomplete.

“Her killer is in Pakistan. The justice will be complete when he is brought here and put on trial,” he said.

The J-K State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Monday filed an over 700-page chargesheet naming banned JKLF chief Yasin Malik as the key accused in the kidnapping and brutal killing of Bhat by terrorists in April 1990. The agency described it as a “historic milestone” in the pursuit of justice for victims of terrorism.

The SIA, which reopened the case after it was handed over in 2024, submitted the chargesheet before the designated NIA court here, 36 years after Bhat, working as a nurse at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, was found dead in downtown Srinagar, several kilometres away, a day after she went missing.

Sethi said the whole Kashmiri society should stand up and help the prosecution in the case.

“We appeal to the government and the prosecuting agencies to plead the case strongly so that the killers get a stringent punishment. Those who are still out of the reach of law should be caught sooner, put on trial and given stringent punishment,” he added.

The BJP chief spokesperson said justice in the case will ensure that in future, a homogenous society will be established once again in Kashmir where people from all religions will live together.

“If the Kashmiri society does not think of Bhat as her daughter, then it is a huge failure for Kashmir. The whole country, the world, is looking at Kashmir — the society should come forward openly,” he said.

Sethi expressed gratitude to the investigating agencies for cracking the case. “All this was possible only under a strong government headed by Narendra Modi,” he said.

Referring to JKLF chief Yasin Malik, Sethi said the accused, at whose behest the killing took place, used to sit with prime ministers.

“(Former prime minister) Manmohan Singh used to invite him to his home. Those people whose hands are drenched in blood, be it of Bhat or others, were invited to the PM’s residence during the Congress rule. After Modi came to power, justice is being delivered,” he asserted.

The BJP leader said it is painful to see on social media that some people were trying to justify or support the accused.

“Some people suggest that reopening the case could become a hurdle in the return of Kashmiri Pandits (to the valley). What kind of thinking is this?

“If the return of Kashmiri Pandits is based on forgetting the rape and murder of girls, then no one wants that. The return will happen and will be based on justice,” he said.