Jammu: No yatri was allowed to move towards the Kasmir Valley from winter capital Jammu to perform the Amarnath Yatra for the third consecutive day on Monday, police said.
“No Yatri will be allowed to move towards the Valley from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu city today,” a senior police officer said. “The Yatra has been suspended due to the prevailing law and order situation in the Valley,” he added.
An officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) that manages the affairs of the annual pilgrimage told IANS that 8,611 pilgrims had “Darshan” at the holy Cave Shrine on Sunday.”8,611 yatris had ‘darshan’ inside the holy Cave yesterday. These included Yatris who had already reached the north Kashmir Baltal and south Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camps,” he said. “Since the yatra started on July 2, so far 1,27,538 pilgrims have performed the yatra,” the SASB official added.
Around 15,000 yatris are waiting in Jammu for their turn to proceed to the Valley so that they can undertake the Yatra. Sources told IANS that a team of officials from Gujarat is reaching here on Monday to find out the welfare of stranded Yatris belonging their state. “Gujarat chief minister spoke to state chief minister yesterday. It was agreed upon that a team of Gujarat government officials would arrive in Jammu to meet the yatris,” sources said. They said that since mobile internet services remained suspended in Jammu city, stranded yatris were feeling inconvenienced.
Meanwhile, strict curfew continued on Monday in most parts of the Kashmir Valley following heightened tension over the death of 22 people during protests against the killing of a top Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani. The victims comprised 21 protesters and a police driver. They were killed during clashes with security forces, mostly in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama districts. Shabir Ahmad, the first victim from Srinagar succumbed to bullet injuries late Sunday evening,
Kashmir Valley erupted in anger on Saturday after security forces shot dead Burhan Wani, a top leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen, along with two of his associates on Friday. His funeral was attended by thousands. Three policemen taken hostage by angry mobs in south Kashmir on Friday, returned back safely, but their weapons were seized, police said here on Monday. Four police stations, 36 civil administration offices and dozens of vehicles were destroyed by unruly mobs. A total of 102 civilians and 100 security personnel were injured in the bloody clashes.
All senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, were placed under arrest by the authorities while the state government on Sunday requested them to help normalise the situation. It is feared if things are not quickly brought under control, Kashmir could be in the throws of another bloody unrest when in 2010, 112 protesters died in clashes with security forces.
