Thousands of devotees set off on the Amarnath Yatra on Wednesday, prompting Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha to project the turnout as a strong response to militancy.
However, fears persist about the overall numbers falling short of last year’s count because of the lingering impact of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Sinha on Wednesday flagged off the first batch of devotees headed to the Amarnath cave from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu.
Tens of thousands of security forces and police personnel have been deployed across Jammu and Kashmir to instil a sense of security after the Pahalgam carnage exposed the fragility of the government’s normalcy narrative. This year’s Yatra is seen as a key test for the government to demonstrate that the authorities are fully in charge.
Sinha said the administration, people of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, police and the security forces had made elaborate arrangements for
the pilgrims.
“It looks like a festival in Jammu city as people have come from all corners of the country. The devotees of Lord Bhole Nath are arriving in huge numbers, undeterred by all terror incidents, demonstrating their immense faith,” he said.
The LG said more than 4,500 devotees joined the first batch. They will proceed to the cave for darshan on Thursday. The figure last year was over 13,000. More than 3.3 lakh pilgrims have registered online for this year’s Yatra. Home minister Amit Shah had later put the number of pilgrims who visited the cave last year at 5.12 lakh.