Jammu: A fresh batch of 5,201 pilgrims set out from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Thursday for the annual Amarnath Yatra under tight security arrangements. With the latest departure, the number of devotees who have offered prayers at the holy cave shrine has crossed 3.25 lakh.
The latest group included 3,970 men, 1,124 women, 92 sadhus, nine sadhvis, five children and one transgender pilgrim. The pilgrims travelled in a convoy of 251 vehicles escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Officials said the convoy was divided into two groups. The first, carrying 1,745 pilgrims in 74 vehicles, departed for the Baltal base camp at 3 am. The second convoy, comprising 3,456 pilgrims in 177 vehicles, left for the Pahalgam base camp at 3.30 am.
Since the pilgrimage began on July 2, a total of 1,04,488 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for Kashmir. Before the convoy left, the atmosphere at Bhagwati Nagar was filled with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole”, “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Barfani Baba Ki”, as devotees began their spiritual journey. Many pilgrims also expressed satisfaction with the facilities and arrangements made for the yatra.
The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high Amarnath cave shrine is scheduled to conclude on August 28.
Authorities continue to enforce extensive security measures throughout the 57 day pilgrimage. Pilgrims are required to travel in escorted convoys, while a multi layer security network involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF and other Central Armed Police Forces has been deployed along the routes, transit camps, base camps and the shrine.
Strict registration procedures, QR based identification systems, continuous surveillance and comprehensive crowd management remain in place to ensure the safe movement of thousands of pilgrims. Security has remained a key priority for the Amarnath Yatra for decades due to the challenging terrain and past terror threats targeting the pilgrimage.
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