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Tight security for Amarnath Yatra
Srinagar: The Union Home Secretary V K Duggal has said that tight security measures are in place for Amarnath Yatra, which has been targeted by militants in the past. "Security arrangements are very much in place. We have been fortunate that the last couple of years have been without any incident and we are very hopeful and confident that this year also it will be totally incident free," Duggal said here. Duggal praised the Jammu and Kashmir police for acting swiftly and apprehending the main suspect in last week's bomb attack in Jammu bus station. "I am glad to know that people who put some device in Jammu bus stop, the main person has been caught," he said.
The pilgrimage averted a major setback last week after a rebel bombed
a crowded bus station, barely minutes from a camp where hundreds of pilgrims
are staying before embarking on a long journey to Amarnath. One person
was killed in the attack. Thousands of troops have been deployed along
50-km mountain track, which takes pilgrims past roaring streams, icy lakes
and snow-covered mountain passes before ending in the cave shrine. Thousands
of Hindu pilgrims continued to remain stranded for the sixth day at the
base camp in Jammu, as bad weather forced authorities to postpone the
pilgrimage for yet another day on Thursday. Authorities on Wednesday allowed
pilgrims less than 50 years of age, to resume an arduous pilgrimage to
the cave shrine but thousands remain stranded at the base camps. The pilgrimage
had begun on schedule earlier this week but heavy snow in the mountains
trapped nearly 600 people en route.
-June 17, 2006
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