The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath took off on Sunday as the first batch of pilgrims set off from winter capital Jammu in the morning.
A rescue team recovered the body of Delhi resident Shailendra, 30, from the landslide-hit area along the Baltal route of the pilgrimage on Wednesday, a police official said.
Use of plastic bags has been banned in Pahalgam, Baltal and en route to the Amarnath cave shrine as part of a master plan to check environmental damage and introduce eco-friendly facililies for pilgrims
The police on Sunday detained 53 Bajrang Dal activists after foiling their bid to move towards Baltal base camp of Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir, ahead of the commencement of the annual pilgrimage in June. Flagged off by Vishwa Hindu Parishad state chief Rama Kant Dubey from Jammu city, a group of 150 members boarded two buses and left for Kashmir Valley. They were intercepted by the police on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Jajjarkotli, 35 km from Jammu.
The month-and-a-half annual yatra to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath took off on Wednesday morning as the first batch of pilgrims left for the shrine from the two base camps: north Kashmir Baltal and south Kashmir Pahalgam amid tight security.
Those familiar with intricate Kashmir politics do not rule out further delay in the assembly elections. Primarily, because the BJP having 'invested' so much for so long in Kashmir would try its best to wait a little longer if only to secure the 'gains' it believes to have achieved after its deafening action on August 5, 2019, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.
The Amarnath yatra was suspended today due to inclement weather conditions in the south Kashmir Himalayas, official sources said in Jammu
Over 1.43 lakh intending pilgrims have registered themselves for this year's Amarnath Yatra beginning from July 2.
State-owned BSNL has become the first telecom firm to launch mobile services at the Holy Amarnath cave, as well as on the two routes of the yatra.
With this batch as many as 53,995 yatris from different parts of the country have left for the cave shrine since the commencement of yatra on June 10.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that due silence has to be maintained only in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the 'ShivaLinga'.
After inaugurating development projects worth nearly Rs 5,000 crore for boosting the agri-economy in the Union territory, Modi said he was "elated to be among the wonderful people of Srinagar".
According to a press statement issued after the all-party meeting, communalisation of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir should be prevented at all costs as this would adversely impact the secular fabric of the nation.
Curfew was clamped again in Jammu and the army was deployed on Wednesday after violence erupted late on Tuesday night leaving 40 people, including nine policemen, injured.However, the curfew was relaxed for varying periods in Samba, Udhampur and Kishtwar districts.National Security Advisor M K Narayanan today met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and other top officials of the state administration to discuss the present security situation.
As Jammu and Kashmir continued to be on the boil, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani alleged on Thursday that the United Progressive Alliance government was lacking seriousness to resolve the problem and accused it of 'discriminating' against Jammu and "alienating the nationalist opinion".
The 1,600-page chargesheet was filed under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act before a sessions court in Anantnag, an official spokesperson said.
The first batch of over 12,000 yatris (pilgrims) left for the cave shrine located at 14,500 feet above the sea level from the two base camps.
This year's annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath nestled in the Himalayas in south Kashmir is slated to begin from June 29. The month and a half long yatra shall end on August 13, coinciding with the 'Raksha Bandan' festival.
The 18-member all-party delegation headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil arrived in Jammu on Saturday to review the situation following recent violent protests, but the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti, which is leading the agitation over land transfer issue, refused to hold talks with the team members.
The first batch comprising 1,160 Amarnath yatris was on Friday flagged off by the state tourism minister from Jammu base camp to the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.
At an all-party meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, it was felt that all the groups concerned from Jammu as well as the Kashmir valley should work together for restoring peace and normalcy in the sensitive border state.
Authorities did not relax the curfew in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Bhaderwah on Monday following the deaths of two young men in violent protests against reversion of land transfer to Amarnath board, officials said.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Jammu and Kashmir Government's decision to revoke the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board but directed the authorities to provide security to pilgrims stranded in the state due to the turmoil over the issue.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has reiterated that there was no direction from the Supreme Court about the construction of a road to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath. The statement comes in the wake of a controversy generated by some Jammu-based political parties, which claimed that the SC has issued a direction for the construction of the road before the onset of winter.
Expressing "shock" over the growing number of Amarnath pilgrims' death, which has risen to 97, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to immediately deploy medical aid teams for the yatris.
Kashmir continued to be under a state of curfew and security forces continued to be on a state of high alert for the second consecutive day across the Valley.
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday expressed apprehension that Pakistan and its sympathisers might try to disrupt the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra that starts from July 2.
Curfew was imposed in three more towns of Jammu region on Sunday as clashes over Amarnath Shrine land row spread even as it continued without any break in Jammu city and adjoining Samba district. Army troops enforced strict curfew restrictions in the Jammu city on Sunday where the authorities closed two local news channels this morning.
An official said the attack appears to be a reprisal for killing of several Lashkar terrorists.
At least 28 people died in rain-related incidents Sunday as heavy downpours lashed north and northwest India, causing landslides, traffic chaos and house collapses, as well as a dam breach which inundated several villages in Haryana.
The two-month-long annual Amarnath Yatra to the Himalayan Hindu cave shrine has started with thousands of pilgrims proceeding towards the shrine from north and south Kashmir routes.
A massive manhunt has been launched for the four terrorists
The annual Amarnath yatra to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas will commence on June 28 and culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of Raskha Bandhan festival on August 22, officials said.
Dr Singh and Gandhi, along with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, had the discussion with Advani on the issue during the State dinner hosted for visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in New Delhi on Monday.
Official sources said the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine in south Kashmir will now begin on July 20 instead of July 29 as announced earlier and will end on August 31.
Security forces killed five heavily armed foreign terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday and said it was the "biggest" infiltration bid to have been foiled since 2021, when India and Pakistan effected a ceasefire understanding.
A batch of 429 pilgrims left for the yatra from Jammu. The pilgrims included 32 women and 102 sadhus.
The streets of Jammu wore a deserted look on Monday as the 'chakka jaam' agitation in Jammu region called by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti got underway.The Samiti asked people not to use their private vehicles today. However, vehicles of mediapersons and ambulances carrying patients were exempted from the chakka jaam agitation.
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