Around three lakh registered pilgrims have shown up for the famous Amarnath Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage that lasts for over a month.. The first batch of 1,200 pilgrims have begun their holy journey from Srinagar to the Amarnath cave, amidst threats from JeM terrorists and tight security. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also reviewed security arrangements during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
Around 53 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims have been killed in 36 terrorist attacks in the past 27 years. Hence, security is of utmost importance in Jammu and Kashmir during such a large scale, communal event.
To ensure that the pilgrimage is completed without trouble, the Shrine Act 2000 established the Shri Amanarth Ji Board to take charge of the pilgrims and security arrangements.
The Board said that a new app developed by the Electronics and IT Ministry provides pilgrims with weather forecasts, maps, lists of facilities, helicopter bookings, and security features like live tracking and an SOS alert.
The state has also issued an alert for a potential attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in the Nagabal, Kangan, Ganderbal areas. Jammu Police are monitoring checkposts and other security personnel and disaster management teams have been deployed in vulnerable areas.
Also read: India mourns as one for Pulwama attack martyrs: All you need to know
Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state to assess the security measures and instructed personnel to show zero tolerance towards terrorists, a policy established since the Pulwama attack in February that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.
The Election Commission said that once the Amarnath Yatra concludes, assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will held.
What is the Amarnath Yatra?
The Amarnath Yatra is an annual 46-day-long pilgrimage that starts in late June or early July on Masik Shivratri and ends by mid-August on Shravan Purnima. This year, the yatra started today, July 1, and will end on August 15.
Pilgrims begin their journey in Srinagar and Pahalgam after the Pratham Pujan (blessing ceremony) is concluded and end it at the Amarnath cave where the Amarnath temple is situated. The Amarnath temple sits at an altitude of 3,888 metres and is 141 kilometres away from the starting point in Srinagar.
According to Hindu mythology, the Amarnath temple is one of the holiest places in India because it here that Shiva revealed the secrets of creation and immortality to Goddess Parvati. Shiva is believed to have travelled to a remote area the holy Amarnath cave to best protect the information.
At this mountain cave, there is a large block of ice or ice lingam believed to be an earthly form of Shiva. So pilgrims make the journey to visit the cave and temple and pay their respects to Shiva.
Some pilgrims have died because the journey is long and harsh.
In 2015, four people died of cardiac arrest while attempting the climb. The Board has also covered the registered pilgrims with a group accidental insurance policy.
Women who have been pregnant for at least six weeks, children below the age of 13, and people over the age of 75 are not allowed to participate because of the rough terrain and weather. Moreover, only those pilgrims with a permit will be allowed to journey beyond the base camps.
Last year, close to three lakh people completed the pilgrimage.
Babri Masjid, Triple Talaq: Religion takes centre stage in parliament
With the NDA government, religious issues have taken centre stage.
Shah is expected to table the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act that establishes reservations in jobs and educational institutions for people living near the international border. The amendment included border communities that live in or along the Actual Line of Control.
Also read: Citizenship & Triple Talaq Bill, CAG Rafale report tabled in RS: All you need to know
After the Triple Talaq Bill lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha, the newly elected House has decided to introduce it freshly after the Cabinet approved it. If the bill passes, the practice of triple talaq or talaq-e-bidat, where men can orally divorce their wives, will be criminalised.
Another key issue is the on-going talks to solve the ownership dispute of the Babri Masjid.
The Supreme Court ordered the three stakeholdersShia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq representing Muslims, Nirmohi Akhara representing Hindus, and Ram Lalla Virajman representing Ramto settle their claim over Ayodhya via mediation.
Also read: Meet Om Birla, speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha
Hindu nationalist groups, several BJP MPs over the years like LK Advani and some newly elected MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha have all called for a Ram Mandir to be built where the Babri Masjid stood before it was demolished by a Hindu mob.
The Babri Masjid Action Committee has said that it will move the Supreme Court against any governmental ordinance for a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The mediation panel is expected to wrap by discussions and present the apex court with a plan by August 15, when the Amarnath Yatra ends.
Rhea Arora is a Staff Writer at Qrius