The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, July 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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Pilgrims protest as yatra suspended
Tribune News Service

Security personnel check the belongings of pilgrims while they make their way towards the holy cave of Amarnath at Chandanwari, 111 km south of Srinagar, on Sunday.
— Reuters photo

Jammu, July 21
Several hundred pilgrims staged anti-government demonstrations at Maulana Azad Sport Stadium in protest against the decision to suspend the Amarnath yatra scheduled for Monday.

The protesters demanded permission to leave for Pahalgam, the base camp for the one-month yatra, on Monday morning. The police authorities told the demonstrators that Monday’s schedule had been suspended on two grounds.

First, the weather conditions between Pahalgam and the holy cave were bad and the government did not want to risk the lives of the pilgrims. Secondly, over 5,500 pilgrims as against the fixed target of 3,500 per day had reached Pahalgam.

A physically challenged pilgrim on way to the holy cave shrine The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, said it was difficult to make lodging arrangements for 5,500 pilgrims who had reached Pahalgam a week ahead of the travel date mentioned in their registration slips. These pilgrims had given a slip to the police in Jammu, saying that they had been booked for travel on July 19 and 20.

He said as and when the weather conditions improved and the rush of the pilgrims thinned, the yatris would be allowed to proceed from Jammu to Pahalgam.

Meanwhile, 3825 pilgrims reached Pahalgam today after starting their journey from Jammu this morning.

A physically challenged pilgrim on way to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Sunday. — PTI photo