JK SIA reopens Wandhama massacre case, security stepped up in Shopian amid threats to Kashmiri Pandits

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has reopened several cases involving the killings of Kashmiri Pandits, including the 1998 Wandhama massacre in Ganderbal, in which 23 Kashmiri Pandits were allegedly killed by terrorists.

The agency is also probing the killings of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute for Medical Sciences (SKIMS) nurse Sarla Bhat, author Sarvanand Kole Premi, BJP leader Tika Lal Taploo and Judge Neelkanth Ganju.

Meanwhile, security has been strengthened in Shopian amid reported threats to members of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

As part of the investigation, the SIA has conducted raids at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley to track suspected terror associates.

Earlier, on August 12, the SIA conducted searches at nine locations across Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the 1990 Kashmiri Pandit double murder case. The case was originally registered at Police Station Dooru in Anantnag and is now under investigation by the SIA.

#WATCH | Jammu | The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of J&K Police is conducting raids in the 1990 Sarwanand Koul Premi killing case. pic.twitter.com/7CJiqm4y8V

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2026

The case revolves around the abduction and killing of Kashmiri Pandit writer and social worker Sarwanand Koul Premi and his young son, Virender Koul, who were residents of Soaf Shali in Kokernag, Anantnag, in 1990.

Kashmiri Pandit poet Sarwanand Koul Premi and his 27-year-old son Virender Koul were abducted from their home by armed militants on the night of April 29, 1990. Their tortured bodies were found hanging from a tree a couple of days later, on May 1, 1990.

The latest searches mark a significant development in the long-running investigation, as the SIA intensifies efforts to uncover the circumstances surrounding the killings and bring the probe to a decisive stage.

Earlier, Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) on August 8 conducted simultaneous search operations at multiple locations across Anantnag, Shopian and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

During one of the searches at a residential house in the Hiller Shahabad area of Anantnag, a CIK team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Farooq Ahmad seized two digital devices.

As per the officials, the seizure was made in connection with FIR No. 03/2023 registered at Police Station CIK Kashmir under Sections 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 13 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). (ANI)