SIA revives probe into 1990 killing of Kashmiri Pandit poet's son

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday carried out simultaneous searches at nine locations across the Union Territory as part of its renewed investigation into the abduction and murder of noted Kashmiri Pandit poet, writer and social activist Sarwanand Kaul ‘Premi’ and his son, Virendra Kaul.

The searches were conducted in connection with FIR No. 45/1990, originally registered at Duru Police Station in Anantnag district and now under investigation by the SIA. Officials said six locations were searched in Rajouri district, two in Jammu and one in the Kashmir Valley.

According to officials familiar with the investigation, the searches were aimed at individuals and properties suspected to have links with the conspiracy surrounding the decades-old double murder. Investigators are also attempting to identify those involved in the killings, trace possible accomplices and recover any evidence that could help establish the circumstances of the crime.

The case dates back to the turbulent period of 1990, when violence and targeted killings contributed to the mass displacement of the Kashmiri Pandit community from the Valley. Sarwanand Kaul ‘Premi’, a respected litterateur, scholar and freedom fighter from Sof-Shali village in the Kokernag area of Anantnag, was abducted along with his 27-year-old son, Virendra, from their home during the night of April 29–30, 1990.

Their bodies were recovered on May 1, 1990, hanging from a tree nearly 20 kilometres from their residence. The killings became emblematic of the brutal violence suffered by members of the Kashmiri Pandit community during the period.

For years, the investigation made little visible progress. The case was subsequently taken up for reinvestigation following directions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs concerning unsolved cases of violence against minorities dating back to the period.