The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, has filed a 737-page chargesheet before the NIA-designated Court of the Additional Sessions Judge in Srinagar in connection with the 1990 abduction, torture and killing of SKIMS staff nurse Sarla Bhat.
Bhat, who worked at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, was allegedly murdered by Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) terrorists on April 18, 1990.
According to the SIA, the investigation has established the role of Mohammad Yaseen Malik, then chief commander of the JKLF, along with Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo in planning and executing the abduction and killing.
The agency said Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammad Yousuf Sofi alias Idrees and Ghulam Mohammad Taploo have since died, while Yaseen Malik is currently in judicial custody in another case.
Legal proceedings, including proclamation proceedings, have been initiated against absconding accused Khurshid Ahmad Chalkoo, who allegedly pulled the trigger and is believed to have fled to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the SIA said.
The agency added that further proceedings in the case will continue in accordance with the law.