Terror attack fails to deter yatra pilgrims

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar,  Jul 12 2017 DH News: Unfazed by Monday’s terror attack in which seven pilgrims were killed, about 22,000 pilgrims set off on Tuesday amid tight security for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir.

Chanting ‘Bam bam Bhole’, 3,289 pilgrims, 756 of them women, began the arduous trek both from the traditional Pahalgam route and the shorter Baltal route from Jammu, an official spokesman said.

By 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the shrine in the Himalayas from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal camps. “The yatra is progressing smoothly and the terror attack has not dampened the spirits of the pilgrims,” he said. Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, also the chairman of the Amarnath Shrine Board, called an emergency security review meeting on Tuesday morning.

The meeting decided to continue with the pilgrimage. The decision was soon conveyed to camp directors and the Yatri Niwas in Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the valley in a convoy every morning. Even as the Central and state governments were defending themselves over the failure to avert the terror attack, it turned out Vohra had raised concerns over the arrangements.

Official documents reveal he had asked about 14 pilgrims dying, for one reason or the other, in the first 12 days of the annual pilgrimage. Since the beginning of the yatra on June 29, more than 1.46 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine.

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat, who rushed to Srinagar in the afternoon, held meetings with chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Governor Vohra and senior army commanders, defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.

The security agencies have launched a manhunt for Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Ismail, a Pakistani terrorist, and two others who masterminded Monday’s attack on the bus.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on the way to Jammu when the attack took place at 8.25 pm on Monday. Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured. Sources said strict instructions had been given to security agencies not to allow unregistered pilgrims to proceed towards the shrine from the base camps.

“The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline for yatra vehicles,” an official said. More than 100 empty cartridges were found at the site, which indicates the terrorists had come with the intention to kill as many pilgrims as possible, a source said.