On June 29, SIA filed a chargesheet in the abduction, torture and killing of Bhat SRINAGAR: Sarvanand Kaul Premi was a poet. Sarla Bhat was a nurse. Both were Kashmiri Pandits who stayed behind when militancy erupted and were killed in 1990. More than three decades later, J&K police’s SIA revived unresolved cases from the Valley’s darkest years. The agency searched Wednesday nine locations in its probe into the abduction-murder of Premi and his younger son, weeks after filing a chargesheet in Bhat’s killing.Premi, 66, a poet, teacher and Gandhian, and Verinder were abducted from their village, Soaf Shali near Kokernag, on Apr 30, 1990. They were shot dead the next day. Five days later, the grief-stricken Kaul family left Kashmir, never to return.State Investigation Agency’s searches were linked to FIR No. 45/1990 registered at Dooru police station in Anantnag. SIA is pursuing militancy-era cases that had lain cold for decades.On June 29, SIA filed a chargesheet in the abduction, torture and killing of Bhat, 27, a staff nurse in the neonatology ward at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar. She was allegedly abducted by JKLF from SKIMS Habba Khatoon Hostel on Apr 18, 1990, and taken to Illahibagh-Lal Bazar, tortured and shot dead. Her bullet-riddled body was found the next day at Omer Colony Malabagh in downtown Srinagar.Born in Soaf Shali in 1924, Premi joined Khadi Bhandar after completing his education and became associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement. His association with Kashmiri poet Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor inspired his literary career. He translated Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali” into Kashmiri and the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana into Kashmiri and Urdu, and advocated secularism and interfaith harmony.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesJ&K govt under then-CM Farooq Abdullah posthumously awarded Premi a gold medal in 1997 for his contribution to Kashmiri literature and communal harmony.The killings from Kashmir’s violent spring of 1990 were part of a wider wave of hostility against Kashmiri Pandits after militancy erupted, driving a mass exodus of the community from the Valley. In 2010, J&K govt under then-CM Omar Abdullah told the assembly that 209 Kashmiri Pandits had been murdered since 1990.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosThreat Letter Targets Kashmiri Pandits In Kashmir, Employees Asked To Stay Alert Amid Security FearChilling Crash Video: Atiq Ahmed’s Son’s Creta Flips After Losing Control On Highway | WatchUdhayanidhi Backs CM Vijay’s Tamil Nadu Delimitation Stand, Demands No Cut In State’s LS SeatsFCRA Bill Sent To 31-Member JPC Amid Opposition Protests, Akhilesh-Rijiju Clash Over MinoritiesRijiju slams opposition over parliament chaos, says ‘running away from debate’Explained: Why Amritpal Singh’s Party Fielded Son of Indira Gandhi’s Assassin In Punjab Elections?Prashant Kishor Promises Jobs For 10,000 Bankipur Youths After Ending BJP’s 30-Year Hold | WatchIndia’s Map Move Rattles China: What Naming 27 Places In Arunachal Means?Air India Phuket-Delhi Pilot’s Confirmatory Dope Test Reportedly Positive For Marijuana, Sources SayTamil Nadu Assembly Passes Anti-NEET Resolution As DMK, AIADMK And PMK Back Abolition Demand123PhotostoriesBeyond Payasam: Traditional South Indian sweets that deserve a tryPreity Zinta goes full royalcore in an Rs 42,500 fuchsia farshi salwar set for ‘Batwara 1947’ promotionsTaking multiple supplements every day? Doctors warn these common combinations could do more harm than good10 beautiful baby girl names that symbolise graceOptical illusion personality test: What you see first reveals your hidden personality type10 classic, smokey and flavourful tikkas perfect for evening snacking5 everyday phone habits that may be damaging your relationship without you noticingThe science behind coriander leaves turning black in the refrigerator and 4 easy hacks to keep them fresh for long8 Indian dinners with over 30g protein that don’t require protein powderThe quiet side of Sundar Pichai: 7 things about the Google CEO that have little to do with Google123Hot PicksInternational Youth DayMHT-CET CAP round seat allotmentSlovenia Indian embassyJharkhand protestN ChandrasekaranNEET PG 2026 city slipIran warSBI Clerk RecruitmentUP scholarshipTop TrendingChennai AirportNagpur Rape CaseAir India Phuket-Delhi FlightMumbai Kurla LandslideBengaluru Missing TechieSpiceJet FlightTelangana AccidentAbhijeet DipkeWeather TomorrowShakeel Noorani
SRINAGAR: Sarvanand Kaul Premi was a poet. Sarla Bhat was a nurse. Both were Kashmiri Pandits who stayed behind when militancy erupted and were killed in 1990. More than three decades later, J&K police’s SIA revived unresolved cases from the Valley’s darkest years. The agency searched Wednesday nine locations in its probe into the abduction-murder of Premi and his younger son, weeks after filing a chargesheet in Bhat’s killing.Premi, 66, a poet, teacher and Gandhian, and Verinder were abducted from their village, Soaf Shali near Kokernag, on Apr 30, 1990. They were shot dead the next day. Five days later, the grief-stricken Kaul family left Kashmir, never to return.State Investigation Agency’s searches were linked to FIR No. 45/1990 registered at Dooru police station in Anantnag. SIA is pursuing militancy-era cases that had lain cold for decades.On June 29, SIA filed a chargesheet in the abduction, torture and killing of Bhat, 27, a staff nurse in the neonatology ward at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar. She was allegedly abducted by JKLF from SKIMS Habba Khatoon Hostel on Apr 18, 1990, and taken to Illahibagh-Lal Bazar, tortured and shot dead. Her bullet-riddled body was found the next day at Omer Colony Malabagh in downtown Srinagar.Born in Soaf Shali in 1924, Premi joined Khadi Bhandar after completing his education and became associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement. His association with Kashmiri poet Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor inspired his literary career. He translated Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali” into Kashmiri and the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana into Kashmiri and Urdu, and advocated secularism and interfaith harmony.
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J&K govt under then-CM Farooq Abdullah posthumously awarded Premi a gold medal in 1997 for his contribution to Kashmiri literature and communal harmony.The killings from Kashmir’s violent spring of 1990 were part of a wider wave of hostility against Kashmiri Pandits after militancy erupted, driving a mass exodus of the community from the Valley. In 2010, J&K govt under then-CM Omar Abdullah told the assembly that 209 Kashmiri Pandits had been murdered since 1990.
