“The Amarnath yatra has resumed this evening from here. A batch of 3,500 pilgrims left from Bagwatinagar base camp for Baltal and Pahalgam,” Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh said. The yatra was suspended on July 9 in the wake of violence in the Valley, following the killing of the top Hizbul Mujahideen commander.
Earlier in the day, pilgrims had urged the state and the Central governments to not stop the yatra and arrange ‘tight security’ for them.
“We urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to resume the Amarnath yatra and not get threatened by violent protests of the militant sympathisers,” Deepak Kumar, a devotee from UP said.
Amid sloganeering of “bum bum bholay and har har mahadev”, the pilgrims said they were ready to leave for the cave to ensure continuity of the yatra. As of now, 1,27,358 yatris have visited the holy cave.