less than 24 hours after terrorists targeted Amarnath pilgrims and killed seven of them in Anantnag, ‘fearless’ Shiv bhakts continue to make a beeline outside the yatri niwas in Jammu to enrol themselves for the yatra.
Chanting slogans eulogising ‘lord Shiva’ spirited pilgrims showed no signs of fear while waiting for their turn in the serpentine queue to gain access inside the base camp.
The atmosphere inside the camp was spiritually charged up. Hundreds of pilgrims occupying their corners were engaged in preparations ahead of undertaking the holy trek than worrying about their own safety.
“We are followers of ‘lord Shiva and have been visiting holy cave shrine for past several years. We have no fears what so ever on our mind. We are only waiting for our turn to start our pilgrimage”, members of the large group from Junagarh, Gujarat told The Pioneer.
When asked whether they are aware of the fact that terrorists had targeted Amarnath pilgrims one of the group members said, “we came to know about the gruesome attack at one of the community kitchens enroute Jammu”.
Even the policemen deployed on frisking duties at various check points had a tough time dealing with enthusiastic pilgrims as they were seen jostling for space to gain entry inside the base camp.
At the time of the attack on Amrnath pilgrims more than 3,000 pilgrims camping at Jammu yatri niwas were gearing up for the last minute preparations.
After the attack took place instead of suspending the yatra the government decided to went ahead with more elaborate security arrangements to ensure safety of pilgrims. A fresh batch of 3289 pilgrims left Jammu at 3 am in the morning for Pahalgam and Baltal Yatra Base Camps.
So far more than 1.55 lakh pilgrims have performed darshan inside the holy cave since June 29.
Meanwhile, several parts of Jammu region witnessed complete shut down in protest against the killing of Amarnath pilgrims on Tuesday. The joint bandh call was given by various political and socio-religious organisations and were supported by business associations. Public transport remained off the road and all business hubs and local markets observed shut down. The security was beefed up across vulnerable areas to prevent any untoward incident. The bandh passed off peacefully in and around Jammu.
Apart from taking review of security arrangements in Kashmir valley a separate review was taken by the deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh in Jammu to ensure no untoward incident takes place in the region to disturb ongoing Amarnath yatra. large number of quick reaction teams of Indian army and CRPF personnel have been deployed along the highway to deal with any kind of situation.