SRINAGAR: After a 34-year-long delay, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has launched a fresh probe into the murder case of judge Neelkanth Ganjoo, a Kashmiri Pandit, who was assassinated on November 4, 1989, by suspected militants. At that time, security agencies had pointed fingers at the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) but failed to make any arrests.
The murder of Ganjoo was a significant event as he had previously sentenced JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat to death for the murder of a CID inspector and a civilian in 1968. This sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1982, and Bhat was later executed in Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984, following the abduction and killing of Indian Diplomat Ravinder Mhatre in London.
Neelkanth Ganjoo’s assassination was part of a series of targeted attacks on Kashmiri Pandits by militants during the early 1990s.
The SIA is now seeking public assistance to reinvestigate the case and uncover the larger criminal conspiracy behind the killing. In a communiqué, they have appealed to anyone with knowledge of the facts or circumstances related to the murder case to come forward and share any relevant information. The identity of these individuals will be kept hidden and protected, and they will be rewarded suitably for their cooperation.
This fresh investigation marks a significant step towards seeking justice for the late Judge Neelkanth Ganjoo and shedding light on the events that transpired during that period of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
