Amarnath yatra suspended due to protest in J&K

The ongoing Amarnath Yatra from Jammu to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas was suspended for two days on Saturday due to a separatist-called protest shutdown.

A police official said no pilgrim was allowed to move from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu towards Kashmir. However, he said, pilgrims camped at the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in the Valley will continue to perform the pilgrimage.

Since the annual pilgrimage began on June 28, nearly 2.72 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Holy Cave shrine situated at a height of 3,880 metres.

The two-day strike has been called by the separatists to support Article 35-A, a law which bars people from outside the state from acquiring any immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. Various organisations included Kashmir Bar Association, transporters and traders' bodies have extended support to the shutdown call.

On the first day of the strike on Sunday protest rallies were taken out by people across Kashmir valley. The Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) members held a sit-in protest near clock tower at city centre Lal Chowk here to protest the attempts to scrap Article 35-A.

Reports of similar protests were received from across the length and breadth of Kashmir Valley. Reports of shutdown and protests were also received from Muslim dominated areas of Jammu region.