More than three decades after the brutal killing of Sarla Bhat, a 27-year-old Kashmiri Pandit nurse, the Jammu and Kashmir Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) has reopened the case, signaling a renewed effort to deliver justice for the heinous crime. On Monday, August 11, 2025, the SIA conducted raids at multiple locations in Srinagar to gather evidence related to the case.

Sarla Bhat was abducted on April 18, 1990, from the Habba Khatoon Hostel of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, where she worked as a nurse. The following day, her bullet-ridden body was discovered in Umar Colony, Mallabagh, Srinagar. A note branding her as a police informant was found on her body.

The murder of Sarla Bhat occurred during a period of intense insurgency and targeted killings aimed at driving Kashmiri Pandits out of the Valley. Bhat's killing was documented under FIR No. 56/1990 at Police Station Nigeen. Initial investigations failed to identify the perpetrators. It is alleged that terrorists affiliated with the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) were responsible for her abduction and murder. Reports suggest that Sarla Bhat defied militant diktats ordering Pandits to leave government jobs and the Valley, openly challenging the JKLF's authority. Even after her death, her family faced threats, with locals reportedly warning them against attending her cremation.

In 2024, the case was transferred to the SIA to ensure a thorough investigation. On August 12, 2025, the SIA, assisted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF, conducted coordinated searches at eight locations across Srinagar. The locations and individuals whose premises were searched include Javaid Ahmad Mir, Mohammad Yasin Malik (currently lodged in Tihar Jail), Peer Noor-ul-Haq Shah, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Bashir Ahmad Gojri, Feroz Ahmad Khan, and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo.

Officials have stated that the searches led to the recovery of "incriminating evidence" that is expected to expose the full terrorist conspiracy behind Bhat's murder. The SIA aims to prosecute those responsible for the crime and deliver justice to Sarla Bhat and her family. Sources familiar with the investigation have said the raids are part of the J&K administration's commitment to identify and prosecute those behind the "heinous terror acts" of the 1990s.

The reopening of Sarla Bhat's case and the subsequent raids have been described as a significant step towards addressing the grievances of the Kashmiri Pandit community and ensuring accountability for the atrocities committed against them. The renewed investigation reflects the unwavering resolve of the J&K administration and the SIA to provide justice, even after decades.