Nearly three decades on, SIA reopens Wandhama massacre investigation

The Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has reopened its investigation into the 1998 Wandhama massacre, in which 23 Kashmiri Pandits were killed, as part of a renewed effort to bring perpetrators of long-pending targeted killings to justice.

The agency has also intensified investigations into the assassinations of prominent Kashmiri Pandits Tika Lal Taploo and Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, two killings that marked the early years of terrorism in the Valley.

The renewed investigations come amid Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's repeated assurances that the administration will pursue justice for families affected by terrorism and ensure that perpetrators of targeted killings are held accountable.

On the night of January 25, 1998, heavily armed terrorists entered the homes of Kashmiri Pandit families in Wandhama village of Ganderbal district and opened fire. Twenty-three people, including nine women and four children, were killed in the attack, which virtually wiped out the remaining non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit population of the village. Only one teenager is reported to have survived the massacre.

An FIR was registered at the Ganderbal police station, but the case remained unresolved for nearly three decades.

According to sources, the SIA has recently carried out searches at multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley in connection with the case. Investigators are examining fresh leads and attempting to identify the terrorists and alleged over-ground workers who were involved in planning, facilitating or executing the attack.

Officials are also examining the roles of individuals who may have provided logistical support to the attackers.

The SIA's renewed focus extends to two other high-profile assassinations from the early phase of militancy.

On September 13, 1989, Tika Lal Taploo, then Vice President of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir and a prominent lawyer, was shot dead near his residence in Srinagar. His killing was among the early targeted attacks against members of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

Less than two months later, on November 4, 1989, retired Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo was assassinated on Hari Singh Street in Srinagar. Ganjoo had presided over the trial that resulted in the death sentence of JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat.

The renewed investigations are aimed at examining available evidence, identifying perpetrators and establishing the roles of their associates and facilitators.