Kashmiri Pandit Nurse's Family Demands Death Penalty for Yasin Malik in 1990 Murder
The family of Sarla Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit nurse who was abducted, tortured, and killed in 1990, has renewed its demand for the death penalty for Yasin Malik, the jailed chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). A recent chargesheet filed by the Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has named Malik as the mastermind behind Bhat's murder, reviving hope for the family after decades.
PK Bhat, the cousin of the slain nurse, said in an interview that Malik should receive capital punishment. "He should be hanged for the heinous crime he has committed," he stated. Bhat also criticised political leaders who have engaged with Malik in the past, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who hosted him for peace talks in Delhi in 2006. He rejected any notion of Malik being a political prisoner, calling him a murderer instead.
Describing the aftermath of Bhat's murder, PK Bhat recounted that during her last rites, about 200 young men stormed the cremation ground, desecrated her ashes, and taunted the family. He said they had to plead to collect a fistful of ashes. The same night, her house was bombed, forcing the family to flee Kashmir.
The 737-page chargesheet, filed last week, details Malik's role in the April 18, 1990, killing. On that day, Bhat was abducted near the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar, where she worked as a staff nurse. She was tortured and shot dead with an automatic rifle. She was among the last Pandit women still working in the Valley as militancy escalated.
PK Bhat expressed cautious optimism about the legal process, saying, "Justice delayed is justice denied. But now there is a glimmer of hope that justice will be served." He noted that Bhat's parents died without seeing justice, but he hopes her soul will find peace.
When asked about the delay in executing Malik, Bhat questioned why Malik has not yet received the death penalty, given the severity of the crime. Malik is currently serving a life sentence in a separate terror funding case.
