Pilgrim jumps over railing near glacier, feared dead
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 12: On the 10th day of yatra, over 19,000 pilgrims drawn from different parts of country performed darshan from twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan -Pahalgam at Himalayan cave in South Kashmir district of Anantnag today.
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With this a total number of 1,82,746 pilgrims paid obeisance in holy cave in last 10 days since the 38-day-long pilgrimage started on July 3, officials said.
They said the figure is likely to cross two lakh by tomorrow.
Officials said the weather in holy cave area remained cloudy during the day and it rained for some time last night as well.
Out of 19,020 pilgrims who paid obeisance at cave shrine today included 13980 males, 4272 females, 225 children, 103 Sadhus, 20 Sadhvis and 420 security personnel.
Officials said 9777 pilgrims left Chandanwari camp for onwards sojourn early this morning while 9015 left Domail camp for darshan this morning. They said there is heavy rush at base camps of Baltal and Nunwan Pahalgam with thousands of pilgrims from different parts of country reaching there daily for onwards journey.
The 11th batch of 6,639 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in here on Saturday wee hours to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The pilgrims, including 1,462 women, 41 children and 181 Sadhus and Sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in two separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said.
While 4,302 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 159 vehicles, 2,337 pilgrims onboard 116 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, the officials said.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
An Amarnath yatri is feared dead in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir after jumping off a railing, police said on Saturday.
Surinder Pal Arora, a resident of Ludhiana, was trekking from Brarimarg to Railpathri in a group of seven when, around midnight, high-altitude sickness gripped him, police said.
Arora “exhibited erratic behaviour, started running up and down, took cold water showers, and later jumped from the railing near Z-Morh, near a glacier,” they said.
Police, Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs), and SDRF, NDRF, JKAP, CRP, VHGS, have been pressed into service to look for him. Drones have been deployed.
Police said the pilgrim was abnormal suffering from mental disease and he suddenly jumped from a railing near glacier and is feared dead.
Officials said that one pilgrim fell ill at Pissu Top today and he was immediately shifted to base Camp Chandanwari by a SDRF jawan for treatment. The yatri felt breathlessness and turned unconscious while climbing the treacherous Pissu top. Seeing his condition critical, the SDRF jawans took him to the base camp hospital Chandanwari where he was given immediate treatment and his condition is stated to be stable.
Meanwhile, there is a heavy rush of pilgrims in Jammu as thousands of yatris are reaching here daily from different parts of country. The Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas, Saraswati Dham and other lodgments meant for pilgrims are fully packed officials said.
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