Jammu, July 02: A day after Jammu and Kashmir government closed the registration of pilgrims for the Amarnath yatra, hundreds of pilgrims who could not enroll themselves today began a hunger strike and staged protest demonstrations claiming the government decision "anti-Hindu." Amid slogans against Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, 120 unregistered Amarnath yatris sat on indefinite hunger strike at the exhibition ground to press for the re-commencement of registration.
The government yesterday announced that further registration of pilgrims for the month-long yatra had been stopped as the permissible quota for this year was met.
"The decision to stop registration is simply interference in the religious affairs of the Hindu shrine," Chowdary Chuni Lal and Jagdev Sopari, speaking on behalf of the unregistered yatris, told reporters. "We will visit Amarnath at any cost. Let them open fire upon us, we will die but would not leave this desire," they said.
They said the security situation was worse in 1998, but 1.71 lakh pilgrims visited cave shrine, adding that similarly, 1.26 lakh undertook the pilgrimage in 1999 and 1.16 lakh in 2002. They alleged that despite the better security situation now, only 1.03 lakh pilgrims have been registered, which was less than this year's quota of 1.12 lakh and additional quota of 10,000 totalling 1.22 lakh pilgrims.
The pilgrims demanded immediate lifting of the ban of registrations. Bureau Report