Budha Amarnath Yatra begins
Our Correspondent
Jammu, August 7
Security forces have intensified their vigil on the route of Budha Amarnath Yatra which commenced on Wednesday.
The pilgrimage where thousands of pilgrims visit the temple in Poonch district of Jammu division started with the first batch of 651 pilgrims leaving from Jammu.
Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar flagged off a convoy of 14 vehicles carrying the pilgrims. Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Anand Jain and leaders of Hindu outfits including Bajrang Dal and VHP leaders were also present during the flagging off ceremony at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
ADGP Jain said security arrangements have been put in place to ensure an incident free pilgrimage.
The Budha Amarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Poonch is among the oldest shrines in the Jammu region, drawing large numbers of devotees.
Meanwhile, the police in Akhnoor conducted area domination drills along with the Special Operations Group and the Army on and around National Highway 144-A which is taken by the pilgrims of the yatra. “As a domination drill a joint exercise was started in Nonaath and Nathal area of Chowki Choura by police and army for sanitisation and domination of areas nearby NH 144-A,” an official said. The exercise was conducted for two hours and was supervised by senior officers from police and the Army.
