As the first of 100,000 Hindu pilgrims start their trek to a holy cave in troubled Kashmir, Indian security forces are rushing to make sure all roads are off-limits to Islamic rebels who have attacked the procession in the past.
While this year's pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave comes at a time of relative hope in Kashmir -- as India and Pakistan, which are bitterly divided over the Himalayan territory, inch towards dialogue -- sporadic violence continues and security forces are taking no chances.
With 20,000 security personnel on hand for the pilgrimage, there will be roughly one troop for every five pilgrims.
For T.K. Mahapatra, commander of one of many Border Security Force paramilitary companies checking roads for the pilgrimage, the coming days are crucial.
The first batch of pilgrims will leave the winter capital Jammu today and three days later reach the cave, which Hindus believe is an abode of the god Shiva.
The 32km trek to the cave shrine from Chandanwari, the most common start point, involves a rugged and icy route -- a two-day walk that can be hard on both pilgrims and security personnel.
"Given the past attacks my boys are always on the look-out for suspects," Mahapatra said.
The pilgrimage, which lasts until Aug. 12, is one of the most high-security events in Indian-administered Kashmir, where tens of thousands have died since 1989 in an insurgency against Indian rule.
Last year, eight people were killed and 27 wounded in an attack by alleged Islamic militants at the base camp at Nunwan, 19km from Chandanwari.
Troops were deployed on June 2 and will not be withdrawn until eight days after the end of the pilgrimage.
Mahapatra and his troops begin each day at dawn looking for mines or other explosives on the picturesque but treacherous 7km stretch from Frislar to Pahalgam, another start point for devotees.
Vehicles carrying pilgrims are allowed to move from the Nunwan base camp only after clearance by the security force.
A report prepared by Munir Khan, the police chief of Anantnag district which includes the cave-shrine, has identified areas considered potential targets where pickets have been set up.
The document says rebels may be planning to attack using special magnets which can be attached with explosives to moving vehicles.
"Therefore all vehicles will need checking," Khan advised in the report.
Places to watch out for, according to Khan, include busy markets, campsites and local bus stations.
"For this, patrolling, including by policemen in civvies, needs to be intensified at these places," said Khan.
The Indian army has been put in charge of general security for the area and will monitor the situation from the hilltops. It will have troops ready in case of emergency.
"Providing security to the pilgrims is a huge task," says D.S. Chandel, deputy commandant of the federal Central Reserve Police Force in Chandanwari.
"Our motive is to provide safety, security and comfort to the pilgrims," Chandel said in his makeshift tent office, near two fast-flowing streams.
His force has set up metal detectors to prevent arms and ammunition being carried in. The federal police will also frisk pilgrims, search their belongings and maintain order within their camps.
"We are trying to put in place fool-proof security to ensure an incident-free pilgrimage," Chandel said.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese