Separatist-called shut down temporarily suspends Amarnath Yatra

Jammu: Authorities on Sunday decided to temporarily suspend the ongoing Amarnath Yatra from Jammu to the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley for two days due to a separatist-called protest shutdown.

The complete protest shutdown in the Valley was called to support Article 35A that gives special powers to the state legislature.

According to the police, no pilgrim was allowed to move from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here.

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Special check-posts have been set up in Udhampur and Ramban to ensure that the movement of pilgrims does not take place on the Jammu-Srinagar highway which passes through these two districts.

However, pilgrims camped at the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in the Valley will continue to perform the Yatra, officials said.

Since the annual pilgrimage began on June 28, over 2.71 lakh pilgrims have performed it so far.

The Yatra will end on August 26 coinciding with the Shravan Purnima festival.

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IANS