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| Amarnath Yatra suspended, highway closed | | Mobile internet service suspended in Jammu, pilgrims asked to wait | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 9: Thousands of Amarnath pilgrims and tourists were stranded as authorities suspended the movement of all sorts of vehicular traffic along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday.
The train service on Banihal-Qazgund-Srinagar-Baramulla stretch was suspended for three days beginning Saturday. The mobile internet services in Jammu region too were suspended in the evening as reports of violence poured in from various parts of the Valley.
"The mobile internet service has been temporarily snapped in Jammu district, in view of tension in Kashmir Valley as preventive measure," Dr Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Province told mediapersons.
Officials said Amarnath Yatra would remain suspended on Sunday also and a decision to restart the yatra would be taken after reviewing the situation on Sunday evening.
Nearly 10,000 Amarnath pilgrims, apart from Kashmir bound tourists and local passengers were stranded at various places in Jammu region as the yatra convoy was not allowed to proceed towards Valley from Jammu and the movement of all sorts of vehicles was suspended between Batote and Banihal towns on Saturday morning. Over 600 vehicles were stranded at Batote and an equal number on the side of Banihal town, according to Traffic Police Control Room at Ramban.
As this led to huge traffic jam, the authorities did not allow even local commuter services to ply between Batote-Ramban-Banihal towns, sources said.
The Police Control Room at Jammu said that nearly 1,300 pilgrims were staying at Yatri Niwas in Bhagwati Nagar area here. This was apart from hundreds of Sadhus camping at Ramji temple in Purani Mandi area and other pilgrims staying in hotels and local sarais in the city.
Amidst tight security every morning, pilgrims in a convoy leave Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal for their onward journey towards Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir in Himalayas. Apart from this, a large number of pilgrims travel directly to Baltal and Pahalgam.
While no convoy left for Valley from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in the morning, the vehicles carrying pilgrims directly to Valley were asked to stop at safe places along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Similarly pilgrims returning to base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam after having darshan of the ice-lingam too were stopped at those places in view of the apprehensions of violence over Burhan's killing.
The decision over resumption in movement of pilgrims between Jammu and Srinagar would be taken after assessment of the situation on ground, said Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh.
Protests in Banihal
In Banihal town where shops and other business establishments opened as usual on Saturday morning got closed immediately after some people took out a procession raising pro-Pakistan, pro-Burhan and pro-Azadi slogans around noon. The self styled Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was shot dead by the security forces on Friday in south Kashmir's Kokernag area.
However, except two stray incidents of stone pelting, one at a CRPF picket on the national highway and another on a stationary TATA Sumo having some cops sitting inside it, no untoward incident was reported in Banihal town.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed in Bhaderwah town following announcement by Anjuman-e-Islamia from local Jama Masjid informing people that namaz-i-janaza of Burhan Wani would be offered after the evening prayers there. This led to administration beefing up the security by deploying additional forces as a precautionary measure in the town where situation had remained normal earlier during the day.
Elsewhere in Jammu region, including in Doda, Kishtwar and Poonch districts situation remained peaceful with shopkeepers keeping their establishments open and vehicular traffic plying on the roads as usual. However, in the evening, authorities suspended the mobile internet services as a precautionary measure. |
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