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| Thursday, 3 July 2003 |
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Despite threat of attack, Hindus register for pilgrimage SRINAGAR, India, Wednesday (AFP) More than 100,000 Hindus have registered for this year's pilgrimage to a famous cave shrine in Indian Kashmir, despite the threat of militant attacks. Tens of thousands of Hindus from around the world head each year to Amarnath, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, for a month-long pilgrimage, which this year begins on July 12. The state government has regulated the huge numbers of pilgrims following the death of more than 200 people in 1996 due to bad weather on the rugged and narrow tracks leading up to the shrine. The government also has to make elaborate safety arrangements because of the threat of attacks by Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. Last year eight pilgrims were killed and 27 injured when rebels attacked a camp despite round the clock security by troops and police. Another three pilgrims died in other militant violence. In 2001 10 pilgrims were killed in attacks. But this has not stopped some 107,000 pilgrims from across the country from registering. "This year's pilgrim quota has been exhausted and the registration has been stopped," Kashmir government spokesman Kulbushan Jandial told AFP. "The state government has appealed to the people not to come to the state for the pilgrimage without proper registration," he added This year nearly 20,000 paramilitary men will assist the local police in providing security to the pilgrims and the state's new governor S.K. Sinha has called for tight security. The cave shrine, situated at a height of 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), houses an ice stalagmite which is worshipped by Hindus as an incarnation of Shiva, the god of destruction and creation. |
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