SUMIT SHARMA
Jammu: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir on Wednesday conducted searches at nine locations across Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the 1990 killing of noted Kashmiri Pandit poet and teacher Sarvanand Koul Premi and his younger son Verinder, intensifying the investigation into one of the high-profile killings of the early militancy period.
The searches were carried out after the SIA obtained search warrants from the competent court in connection with FIR No. 45/1990 of Police Station Dooru, Anantnag, popularly known as the Sarvanand Premi killing case.
According to officials, the nine locations searched on August 12 included six in Rajouri district, two in Jammu district and one in Baramulla district.
In Jammu, SIA teams conducted searches at the residences of Mohd Shakoor, son of Karin Din Chachi, and Hussain Mohd, son of Mohd Karim, both residents of Shah Abad Colony, Gujjar Basti, Bagh-e-Bahu.
The Jammu searches were conducted by an SIA Kashmir team headed by DySP Javed Ahmed. The operation commenced at around 8 am and concluded at approximately 10:35 am. No arrest or recovery was reported from the two Jammu locations and the situation remained peaceful.
The searches across the three districts formed part of a coordinated investigation aimed at collecting and verifying evidence related to the decades-old case.
The case pertains to the killing of Sarvanand Koul Premi, a respected poet, teacher and writer, and his younger son Verinder during the turbulent period of militancy in Kashmir.
According to records cited in reports on the case, the father and son were abducted from their native village in Anantnag before being found dead on May 1, 1990.
Premi, who was 66 at the time of his death, was known for his literary contribution and writings in Kashmiri and Hindi. His killing became one of the cases associated with the targeted violence against members of the Kashmiri Pandit community during the early years of militancy.
The latest operation marks a fresh step in the investigation, with the SIA obtaining judicial authorisation to search nine premises spread across three districts.
Officials said the searches were conducted to locate relevant material and evidence that could assist investigators in establishing the circumstances surrounding the killings and identifying the role, if any, of individuals linked to the case.
The distribution of the searches—six in Rajouri, two in Jammu and one in Baramulla—indicates that investigators are examining leads and individuals located beyond the immediate area where the crime took place.
The SIA has been pursuing investigations into long-pending cases involving serious offences committed during the period of militancy. The agency is examining documentary and other evidence as part of efforts to bring investigations into such cases to their logical conclusion.
The investigation in FIR No. 45/1990 remains in progress, and further legal action will depend upon the evidence gathered during the ongoing probe.
