Srinagar, June 29, 2013: As chaos prevailed on the first day of this year’s Amarnath yatra, the police sent back more than 12,000 pilgrims from different the base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam or makeshift checkpoints set up en route as they had either not got themselves registered or had later date registration.
[Meanwhile, as many as 7,938 pilgrims had darshan at the cave shrine on the first day of the pilgrimage. Officials said 5,531 pilgrims left for Amarnath Pahalgam and 4,745 began the journey through arduous hills via Baltal. Another 873 pilgrims flew into Panjtarni, the nearest halting place, from the base camps.]

Extraordinary security arrangement has been made for the yatra as the Army believes separatist militants might attempt to target the pilgrimage. The claim is, however, disputed by chief minister Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir’s police chief Ashok Prasad, who have publicly said that the threat perception to the annual event has not increased this year.

Officials said that about 8,000 such pilgrims were returned back from Pahalgam and another 4,000 from Manigam in the Ganderbal district in north of Srinagar who wanted to relocate to the cave shrine up in Kashmir Himalayas using shorter Baltal route.

The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) and the Jammu and Kashmir authorities have once again the intending pilgrims to get themselves registered as per the SASB and embark on the journey on the specified date of registration only. They have also been requested to adhere to the specified yatra routes only; wherein “P” stands for Pahalgam route vehicles and “B” stands for Baltal route vehicles.

Reports said that, however, many of the pilgrims who were asked to return turned angry and clashed with police which resorted to mild cane-charge at least on one occasion to force back “unruly” groups of pilgrims. Navin K. Choudhary, CEO of SASB, while reiterating his appeal to the intending pilgrims to embark on the pilgrimage only after obtaining, in their own interest, a valid yatra permit, said: “This would ensure against any avoidable inconvenience to them.”
He cautioned the pilgrims not possessing such valid permits will not be allowed to proceed beyond the Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal base camps. Referring to over 12,000 pilgrims being sent back on Friday, the official said that unregistered yatris “have no option but to go back to Srinagar and first obtain registration before they can be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage.”

The annual pilgrimage to Amarnath at a height of 3,888 metres above sea level and dedicated to Lord Shiva began simultaneously from the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir and the shorter Baltal route in north of Srinagar on Friday and conclude on August 21, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.

Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra, who is also chairman of the SASB, was scheduled to participate in the “pratham darshan and puja” early during the day on Friday and also visit both the base camps of Baltal and Nunwan to review arrangements but could not make it as the helicopter carrying him and Mr Choudhary was not able to fly beyond Sonamarg due to bad weather and poor visibility.

Source: The Asian Age, DT. June 29, 2013.