Srinagar. In Jammu and Kashmir, files of old murder cases of Kashmiri Pandits, which were under investigation for years, have started being reopened. The State Investigation Agency (SIA) has restarted the investigation into the 1998 Wandhama massacre. 23 Kashmiri Pandits were killed in this massacre in Wandhama village of Ganderbal. Now after about 28 years, this matter is being investigated again.
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According to media reports, along with the Wandhama case, other old cases related to targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits are also under the investigation of SIA. These also include the murder cases of BJP leader Tikka Lal Taplu and retired judge Neelkanth Ganju. Earlier, the murder cases of agency Sarla Bhat, writer Sarwanand Kaul Premi and his son Virendra Kaul have also been opened for re-investigation.
The night of 25 January 1998, when 23 people were murdered
The Wandhama massacre occurred on 25 January 1998. Just a day before Republic Day, armed terrorists targeted Kashmiri Pandit families in Wandhama village of Ganderbal district. 23 people lost their lives in the attack. The dead also included 9 women and 4 children. After the attack, the terrorists set fire to the houses of the victims. Even a local temple was not spared. The incident took place at a time when terrorism was at its peak in the valley. Due to this, this massacre had created deep fear and anger among the Kashmiri Pandit community.
SIA will reveal layers of old cases also
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SIA is no longer limited to just the Wandhama massacre. The agency is re-examining several old cases related to targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits. The murders of Tikka Lal Taplu and Justice Neelkanth Ganju have also been brought under the ambit of this investigation.
Tikka Lal Taplu was shot dead near his home in Srinagar in September 1989. Apart from being a lawyer, he was also the vice president of Jammu and Kashmir BJP. His murder is considered important in the incidents of targeting of Kashmiri Pandits in the initial phase of terrorism in the valley.
The judge who sentenced Maqbool Bhat was also murdered
The case of murder of Justice Neelkanth Ganju has also been very much discussed. He had sentenced JKLF terrorist Maqbool Bhat to death. After this, on 4 November 1989, he was shot dead by suspected JKLF terrorists in Hari Singh Street area of Srinagar. Earlier his house was also attacked.
After SIA brings these cases under the ambit of investigation again, new clues will be searched in decades old cases. The agency is re-examining old records, documents related to the investigation and available evidence. Now the focus is on in which direction the investigation progresses in these cases that have been unresolved for years.
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Case of murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhatt
Apart from this, SIA has also conducted search and investigation in the case related to the murder of Kashmiri Pandit writer Sarbananda Kaul Premi and his son Virendra Kaul. Earlier, SIA has also investigated the murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat. Who was murdered in 1990. After this investigation, SIA had filed a 737-page charge sheet, in which jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik was said to be the mastermind of this case. Yasin Malik is currently serving life sentence in Tihar Jail. SIA has also taken action in the murder case of Kashmiri Pandit writer Sarbananda Kaul Premi and his son Virendra Kaul. The agency has taken the investigation forward by conducting searches at locations related to this case.