NEW DELHI: The Amarnath Yatra on Saturday was suspended for a day in view of a separatist bandh call in the Valley to mark militant commander Burhan Wani’s third death anniversary on Monday. The shutdown call by separatists. “No pilgrim allowed will be allowed to move towards the Kashmir Valley from Jammu due to a separatist-called protest shutdown, police said.
July 13 is observed as Martyrs Day in Jammu and Kashmir to remember those killed in the firing outside the Srinagar Central Jail by forces of the Dogra Maharaja in 1931.
“Taking stock of the law and order situation because the protest shutdown called by the separatists today, movement of the pilgrims from Jammu to Srinagar will remain suspended today,” police sources said.
Officials said the vehicles carrying the pilgrims back from Baltal, where the second base camp for the pilgrimage is located, and Pahalgam were allowed to travel to Jammu. They said more pilgrims would start leaving Jammu as usual for Pahalgam and Baltal on Tuesday.
According to official data, 36,309 pilgrims have so far left Jammu for the 48-day-long pilgrimage since its commencement on June 30. The pilgrims trek from Pahalgam and Baltal to the cave shrine of naturally formed ice-shivlingam. The pilgrimage will end on August 15.