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We do not fear terrorists: Amarnath pilgrims opt for Pahalgam route despite shadow of April 22 carnage

Jammu, Jun 30 (PTI) Defying apprehensions of the horrific April 22 terror Pahalgam attack casting a shadow on the Amarnath Yatra this year, hundreds of pilgrims from various parts of the country lined up at the registration centre here on the first day. "Bullets and bombs cannot stop us from having Baba Barfani's darshan," said Mumbai resident Devakar Kadam, who will embark on his 11th pilgrimage to the cave shrine this time. The Saraswati Dham registration centre, near the Jammu railway station, saw an unusual rush on the first day of the registration, and many present there described the increasing footfall as a befitting reply to Pakistan-backed terrorists who shot dead 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam after religious profiling. As pilgrims waited to get tokens amid chants of "Bam Bam Bole" and "Jai Baba Barfani", several of them said they were undertaking the pilgrimage to Amarnath from the Pahalgam route as a homage to those who lost their lives in the April 22 terror attack. "We are very enthusiastic. Our group of 26 members is extremely happy, and we want to be part of the first batch to have the darshan of Amarnath ji. We have no fear. "No matter what happens, the enthusiasm of people across the country for the Amarnath Yatra cannot be diminished. Everyone will come and have darshan," said Kadam. The 38-day pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath located at an altitude of 3,880 metres in the South Kashmir Himalayas will commence on July 3 via the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district that is shorter but steeper. Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for the Yatra. The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from the Jammu-based Bhagwati Nagar base camp on July 2. Another group member, Mumta Deshmukh, said they arrived late last night and had been standing in the queue since early morning to get tokens for on-the-spot registration. "This time, it is not only a pilgrimage for Baba Barfani's darshan but also to pay tribute to those killed in Pahalgam by terrorists. "By undertaking the yatra from Pahalgam, we are sending a message to terrorists -- that we do not fear them," she said. Kadam said it was their 11th pilgrimage. "We will never stop or bow down to such attacks. Even if bullets are fired or bombs explode, we will surely have Baba's darshan. We do not fear them. We pledge that we will continue to be in the first batch of every future yatra as well." Sarita Ghosh of Kolkata, who is on the pilgrimage along with a group of 95 people, said that compared to previous years, the enthusiasm among devotees is greater. "This clearly shows that people are giving a befitting reply to those trying to spread fear. I believe that compared to last year, twice the number of people will come this time -- and fear will be defeated," she said. Ghosh said that all of them had decided to take the Pahalgam route, especially in the wake of the terror attack. "It will be our tribute to those who died there -- this will be our pledge against terrorism," she said. Nirohotum Kumar from Assam said the terror attack cannot deter them from undertaking the pilgrimage. "What happened in Pahalgam was tragic, but it cannot scare us. We are going to Baba with full faith. This is our yearly commitment. No one can instill fear of death in us." He said people should come in large numbers. "This will also boost the morale of our soldiers," he said. Bighirath Sharma of Surat, part of a 30-member group including 25 from Kashi, said, "Do you see any fear among the people here? At least 30,000 people are standing here today just to collect tokens -- and this is only the first day." "Such a huge crowd from all over the country is proof that no one is scared. In fact, this is a strong reply to terrorists -- that we will not be afraid, we will not back down," Sharma said. A large number of pilgrims hoping to undertake the Yatra had to return disappointed from Saraswati Dham after failing to get tokens for on-the-spot registration to travel in the first batch for darshan of the ice lingam of Lord Shiva. Joginder Singh of Uttar Pradesh, who waited in line for four hours along with his group of eight, said, "We felt deeply hurt at not getting tokens today. We wanted to start our Yatra from day one and have Baba's darshan." He criticised the limited quota of 2,000 tokens fixed for the day. "We waited in line for four hours but still didn't receive a token. A large number of people came today, and only 2,000 tokens were issued." He said the government should issue tokens for the next day as well, so people don't have to wait in lines repeatedly. Some of those who waited for hours only to be told that the daily quota had ended raised slogans and were involved in scuffles with the police personnel deployed there. Surendra Singh from Punjab said that it was unfair that even after waiting for five hours, they didn't receive a token for registration. "The government should issue quotas for the second and third day to those already standing in line so that people don't have to return," he said Three registration centres - Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan and Mahajan Hall - will start functioning in Jammu for offline registration from Tuesday. Only pilgrims having tokens issued by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board will be entertained at the registration centres, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manu Hansa. PTI AB RT RT RT RT

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