They are not healing wounds. Someone scratches. They turn green. After a gap of 36 years, the case of kidnapping and brutal murder of nurse Sarla Bhatt has reached the court. Police have filed a 737-page charge sheet in this case in the NIA court of Srinagar. The police have considered the incident of kidnapping of Sarla Bhatt and brutal murder of her after giving terrible torture as a part of a bigger terrorist conspiracy of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front to frighten the Kashmiri Pandits and force them to leave the valley. Yasin Malik, the mastermind of this murder, is already in jail in other cases. Three accused are dead, while one Khurshid Ahmed Chalku is said to be currently in Pakistan.
The terrorists were successful in carrying out their nefarious intentions by killing Sarla Bhatt and all the innocent people. Lakhs of family members of about 75 thousand Kashmiri Pandits are still waiting to return home after losing their homes, properties and jobs. Even after the abolition of Article 370 by the Centre, taking away the status of full state and making Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory, significant improvement in peace and order and record inflow of tourists, the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley remains a big challenge.
The police charge sheet in the Sarla Bhatt case has given the message that the government will definitely punish the culprits. This case has once again brought back memories of that horrific period when the government, which heard the cries for help from Kashmiri Pandits, was either helpless or indifferent. What happened then? Read his story.
The motive behind the killings was that Kashmiri Pandits should leave the valley.
Sarla Bhatt was a nurse at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar. He was kidnapped in April 1990. They were subjected to inhuman torture and then murdered. This incident further deepened the fear among the Pandits living in the valley. The incident of Satish Kumar Tikku being shot dead outside his house in Srinagar in February 1990 is mentioned among the targeted killings of the early phase of terrorism. Girija Tikku was also killed during the period of terrorism. The incident of violence against him is remembered as the most horrific atrocity on the Pandit community.
Sarla Bhatt.
In the early months of 1990, many government employees, teachers, lawyers and Kashmiri Pandits having social identity were killed by terrorists. In reality, the purpose of these killings was not to kill any particular person but to force the entire Kashmiri Pandit population to leave the valley.
Every call for help went unheard
The terrorists had succeeded in their objective. But how and why? What were the Central and Jammu and Kashmir governments doing then? Why did such situations arise? The book ‘My Frozen Turbulence In Kashmir’ by Jagmohan, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during that period, gives a glimpse of it. On January 19, 1990, Jagmohan took oath as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time. That entire night the telephone bells of Raj Bhavan kept ringing calling for help.
The terrorists had issued orders for the Kashmiri Pandits to leave the valley by the next morning. There was no one to listen to the pundits. Even Jagmohan could not help him. The light of the next morning was guarded by the darkness of fear. Disappointed Kashmiri Pandits started leaving the valley. During the next two months, lakhs of members of about 75 thousand Kashmiri Pandit families had fled the valley. But all this did not happen suddenly. The situation there had been continuously worsening over the past few years. Pakistan took full advantage of this. There was a flood of infiltrators. Apart from provoking the local separatist forces, Pakistan had left no stone unturned in providing training, weapons and money to the terrorists.
Social worker and Kashmiri Pandit Anita Chandpuri. Photo: PTI
Election rigging made the situation worse
On 26 April 1984, Jagmohan became the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. He remained in this post till 11 July 1989. This was the period when Indira and then Rajiv Gandhi were in power at the centre. During these years the situation in Kashmir was continuously deteriorating. After the death of Sheikh Abdullah on 6 September 1982, his son Farooq Abdullah became the Chief Minister of the state. He had the support of Congress. But soon his relations with Congress started deteriorating. By the 1983 assembly elections, the distance between the two had increased considerably. Meanwhile, anti-national activities were increasing there. The militancy of Punjab further emboldened such elements. On July 2, 1984, Governor Jagmohan dismissed Farooq Abdullah’s government. The next government formed under the leadership of GM Shah at the behest of the Center was also dismissed on March 7, 1986.
This dismissal was the result of the agreement between Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah. Once again Farooq Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister. The 1987 assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir are remembered for massive rigging and dishonesty. These elections destroyed the credibility of the mainstream parties and their leaders. This further strengthened the separatist forces. The state government had lost its Iqbal. The police and administration were helpless in front of the militants. In mid-1989 the entire valley was burning.
Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan.
Paper declaration to fight terrorists
What were the central and provincial governments and Governor Jagmohan himself doing then? Jagmohan wrote, “Both the National Conference government and the Congress leaders talked about fighting against the anti-national activities going on in the valley but nothing was happening on the ground and this indifference extended to the central government.”
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Home Minister were also present in the Governors’ Conference held under the chairmanship of the President on 10-11 October 1988. According to Jagmohan, he had drawn his attention towards the explosive situation in Kashmir. Everyone agreed and was concerned. But no effective steps were taken. The Governor’s reports sent to the President in January 1989 and February 1989, which were in the knowledge of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, once again drew attention to the situation going out of control, the expansion of separatist forces and the indifference of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
In a letter sent directly to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on April 8, 1989, Governor Jagmohan wrote, “The situation is deteriorating rapidly. Large-scale violence, firing, strikes have been going on for five consecutive days. We are at a point from which no return seems possible. The Chief Minister is isolated. The government has failed on both the political and administrative fronts. Effective intervention is necessary. Perhaps something may be possible today. It will be too late by tomorrow!”
On May 14, 1989, he wrote to Rajiv Gandhi, “Between May 8 and 13, 14 bomb blasts and 6 cross-firing incidents resulted in 4 deaths. 14 were injured. Four tourists were injured in the firing on a bus between Gulmarg-Srinagar. The existing administrative and political structure is incapable of handling the situation. There is no visible political front to resist the separatists during the strike. The sad thing is that Every success of such elements is expanding their power and turning their hostility towards the central authorities. I have conveyed my concern to Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.” Jagmohan complained that his clear warnings were ignored.
Yasin Malik, mastermind of Sarla Bhatt murder case.
Jagmohan Governor for the second time
Jagmohan’s tenure ended on 11 July 1989. But after a gap of about six months, on 19 January 1990, he was once again given the responsibility of the post of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. This opportunity was given to him by Vishwanath Pratap Singh who came to power in 1989 by defeating Rajiv Gandhi. Farooq Abdullah had resigned from the post of Chief Minister a day before Jagmohan took oath as Governor for the second time. If Jagmohan had gained a lot of popularity in the Jammu region during his first term as Governor, on the other hand there was a lot of resentment towards him in the valley. He was the direct target of Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Opponents accuse him of worsening the situation there. How and why did such a Governor, who was trusted by the rival government at the Center in the first term, become the choice of the next government of Vishwanath Pratap Singh?
The Prime Minister disagreed but the Minister followed suit.
Senior journalist Ram Bahadur Rai had asked this question to Vishwanath Pratap in his book ‘Vishwanath Pratap Singh – More journey than destination’. According to Vishwanath Pratap, it was not he but Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who chose Jagmohan. When this news reached Chandrashekhar, he came to meet him and said not to send Jagmohan. The condition there will get worse. According to Singh, even after his refusal, the Mufti announced the appointment of Jagmohan as the Governor. I was facing a religious crisis. Changing the decision of his Home Minister would have disgraced him. But it is a misconception that BJP had suggested Jagmohan’s name.
The truth is that the name of a retired army officer had come from BJP. Like Jagmohan, Vishwanath Pratap Singh also believed that widespread irregularities in the state elections played a role in the worsening of the condition of Kashmir. According to him, there was no credibility left in the elections there. The alliance between Congress and National Conference also helped in increasing terrorism. There was no political party left for opposition. There was no platform left to express the sentiments of the opposition. Therefore those who were in opposition became extremists. When elections started being rigged there and people started getting insulted, the youth went across the border to take revenge.
A young man became a candidate in the elections. At the behest of the ruling party, he was called to the police station and insulted. To take revenge from the police station, he went to the other side, where he came in contact with ISI and ISI used him to spread terrorism. A series started from that incident. J.K.L.F. And by using madrassas, ISI expanded terrorism. This happened in the same way as diseases attack when the body becomes weak.
each responsible on different path
Unfortunately, there was no coordination between the Center and the Governor in this critical situation. They were seen on different paths. Even the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were not of the same opinion. On the Governor’s decision to dissolve the suspended assembly, Vishwanath Pratap Singh said that Jagmohan had closed all democratic avenues. Police and army remained. He told Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to take resignation from the Governor tonight itself. Mufti’s reply was, “It would not be right to do this at this time. This will give strength to the terrorists. Those who have started the rebellion will get a moral victory. I agreed.”
On the other hand, Jagmohan had described the formation of a seven-member all-party committee on the issue of Kashmir by the Center and the appointment of George Fernandes as the Minister of Kashmir Affairs as disastrous. He wrote that the results of the visit of this all-party committee were dire. Due to this, the forces supporting Pakistan and thinking of separating Kashmir got organized. It became clear to Kashmiris that the central government is not completely on my back.”
Political maneuvers even in crisis
Rajiv Gandhi was a member of the all-party committee and accompanied him during the Kashmir tour. Jagmohan wrote, “There was no limit to the harm that Rajiv Gandhi caused.” On March 10, 1990, Saifuddin Chaudhary, Viplav Das Gupta of CPI(M), A.S. Farooqui and A.S. Malhotra and BJP’s Jaswant Singh and Kedarnath Sahni in a joint statement condemned Rajiv Gandhi for breaking the consensus of the meeting and making confidential matters public. Said that the benefit of the tour was lost due to this.
There was also a clash between Rajiv Gandhi and Jaswant Singh during this tour. According to Vishwanath Pratap Singh, “My intention was to create a national consensus through this committee. But it is true that the positive role that was expected from Rajiv Gandhi was not played there. Many people in the delegation were disappointed by his behavior. Many members who went there expressed their displeasure over the behavior of Rajiv Gandhi.”
A few days later, an incident of firing on the funeral crowd became the decisive reason for demanding resignation from Governor Jagmohan. But on the advice of Cabinet Secretary BG Deshmukh, the Prime Minister once again hesitated. Deshmukh told him that by removing Jagmohan from the governorship, you will make him a martyr. Nominate him to Rajya Sabha. He will not be considered a martyr because he reached Rajya Sabha by the grace of the government. Jagmohan was persuaded.
He was relieved from the post of Governor on 10 November 1990. There were sounds of joy and relief in the valley and across the border. There was anger and strike in Jammu division. There was a reaction in many other parts of the country also. Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh publicly said that Jagmohan himself resigned. Was the decision to send Jagmohan to Rajya Sabha right? Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s reply was, “I do not consider it a right decision. But it was necessary to do so at that time. Otherwise BJP would have made Jagmohan a martyr and paraded him across the country.” See the irony, Kashmir was burning. Many innocent lives were being lost. The entire population of Kashmiri Pandits was evicted from the valley. But even amidst that crisis, political maneuvers were continuing.
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