(Kashmir Rechords Exclusive)

On the freezing morning of January 15, 1990, a routine bus ride in Srinagar turned into a scene of horror that still haunts Kashmir’s conflict narrative. Moti Lal Bhan, an upright and quietly efficient Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, boarded the Khanda-Nowgam-Srinagar shuttle bus unaware that this would be the last journey of his life.

At Natipora, three armed youth led by the dreaded Bitta Karate stormed the bus and ordered Bhan to get down. He protested. A fellow passenger, Mohammad Akbar Wani, alleged to be “ IB Informer’’, intervened, pleading with the gunmen to leave Bhan alone. The response was chilling—Wani was shot dead on the spot. Moments later, Bhan was shot point-blank in the head. No one in the bus dared move. No one came forward.

Instead, as chilling reports later suggested, some local photojournalists were alerted for a “photo-session” of the bodies .

Bhan’s “crime” was simple: he had helped apprehend Abdul Ahad Waza, a Pakistan-trained militant. For that, he was marked for death.

This is just one story—one among dozens.

1990: When IB Officers Stood Alone

The National Investigation Agency (NIA)—India’s federal counter-terror arm—was established only in December 2008, born from the ashes of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. But in 1990, during the first wave of militancy, there was no such shield.

There was mostly the Intelligence Bureau (IB)—India’s century-old internal intelligence unit. And in Kashmir, they stood alone, exposed and hunted.

What happened in those early months of 1990 remains one of the most tragic and least-told chapters of India’s national security history.

Militant groups—backed, trained and guided from across the border—had chalked out a sinister plan: eliminate intelligence officers first.
And they succeeded. Worse, insiders allegedly leaked details of IB field officers to terror networks, sealing their fate.

Kashmir’s newspapers of that time prominently carried images  and stories of slain officers—an open tactic to terrorise minorities and cripple India’s national machinery in the Valley.

Here are some of the most heart-wrenching stories from those dark days.

A: January 2, 1990 — The First Blow: R.N.P. Singh

Just days into the new year, R.N.P. Singh, Assistant Central Intelligence Officer, was shot dead in Anantnag, Kashmir.
He had stepped out like any other day. He returned home only as a lifeless body. He was killed right on the footpath. Instead of rushing to help, locals celebrated.

This killing marked the opening act of what would become a systematic campaign. He was reportedly gunned down by “JKLF” militant Manzoor Darzi.

B: January 8, 1990 — The Beeru Execution: Krishan Gopal Chouhan

Beeru in Budgam was a militant stronghold, and Sub-Inspector Krishan Gopal Chouhan, running a lone IB operation there, had become a thorn in their side.

On a bustling street, a man in a Pheran stalked him.A Kalashnikov appeared. Five bullets ended his life.

Within hours, the terrorists struck again in Rawalpora, killing Inspector Hameedullah Bhat of the State’s counter-espionage unit. By then, several civilians too had been executed on mere suspicion of being “informers’’.

The message was clear: terror would rule.

C: February 14, 1990 — The Gowkadal Horror: Tej Krishen Razdan

Valentine’s Day 1990 became a day of mourning.

Tej Krishen Razdan, a technical officer posted at IB’s Gupkar Road unit, had visited home at Badyar to see his ailing parents. On his return, using public transport like any other Kashmiri, he was forced off a mini-bus at Gowkadal and shot dead by two young militants.

Then began a shameful spectacle. His blood-soaked body was dragged to Red Cross Chowk, put on public display. Onlookers did not flinch.
Even the shopkeepers did not move.

When a police jeep finally arrived, the driver pleaded with locals to help lift the body. Nobody stepped forward. The driver had to drag the martyr’s body alone.

E: The Eid Homecoming That Turned into Death: Rafiq Ahmed Wani

Rafiq Ahmed Wani, an IB security assistant serving in Assam, came home to Srinagar’s ShalaKadal to celebrate Eid.
Militants shot him dead in his own home.

A Fatal Mistake: The 1989 DG Conference

The killings of IB officers can also be traced to an ill-timed decision—a DG-level conference organised at Centaur Hotel, Srinagar, in mid-1989.

The high-profile event blew the cover of IB’s presence and network in the Valley.
Terror groups quickly mapped identities.Within months, IB officers became the first targets.

1990 vs. Today — A Different Battlefield

Much blood has flown since those grim months of 1990.
Today, the national security landscape has changed dramatically.

Agencies like NIA, SIA and strengthened state intelligence units operate with modern tools, legal backing and—most importantly—local support, something IB officers tragically lacked in 1990.

They fight terrorism with coordination, equipment and fearlessness that their predecessors could only dream of.

But the price paid by those early IB officers—the forgotten sentinels—must never be erased from memory.