Amarnath yatra begins: Around 40,000 CRPF personnel keep guard along route as devotees embark on journey
Over two lakh pilgrims have registered for the annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas till now.
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Sadhus shout religious slogans in a bus, as the first batch of pilgrims leaves for Amarnath Yatra, in Jammu on Wednesday. Over two lakh pilgrims have registered for the annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas till now. A posse of over 40,000 armed CRPF and state police personnel have virtually dotted the yatra routes from Jammu — via Pahalgam and Baltal — with their overwhelming presence in armoured vehicles. PTI
Vehicles tagged with electromagnetic chips, bike and bullet-proof SUV police convoys and scores of bullet-proof bunkers have been deployed as part of the "biggest-ever" security blanket thrown to secure pilgrims undertaking the Amarnath Yatra that begins in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. A paramilitary soldier stands guard as the first batch of pilgrims leaves for the yatra. PTI
Security personnel, wearing camera-equipped-helmets, guard at Yatri Niwas base camp, ahead of the start of the yatra. The CRPF road-clearing parties will keep sweeping yatra roads against possible improvised explosive device (IEDs) threats to yatra convoys from early morning till late evening. PTI
Devotees board buses, as the first batch of pilgrims leaves for Amarnath Yatra, in Jammu on Wednesday. Unperturbed by the looming terror threat, pilgrims said their unflinching faith in Lord Shiva and the security forces had motivated them to undertake the journey to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. Chants of "Bam Bam Bhole" and “Bharat Mata ki Jai" filled the air as the enthusiastic pilgrims, including 520 women and 21 children, left the base camp. They are scheduled to reach the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir later in the day. PTI