Latest news with #HinduPilgrimage
Arab News
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UK to take in hundreds of children from Gaza for medical treatment
India wraps up mass Hindu pilgrimage in contested Kashmir SRINAGAR, India: More than 400,000 Hindus took part in a month-long pilgrimage in contested Indian-run Kashmir, authorities said, shrugging off security worries weeks after conflict with Pakistan. The pilgrimage began on July 3 and closes officially on August 9, but organizers said that lashing rains had damaged narrow paths forcing a premature end. Official Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said in a statement late Saturday that 415,000 pilgrims had taken part. Many of the faithful began their trek to the Amarnath ice pillar from near Pahalgam, where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists in the Muslim-majority region. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected — triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire. New Delhi last week said that three Pakistani men who carried out the Pahalgam attack were killed during a gunbattle on July 28 in forests adjacent to the hills where the cave shrine is located. A few devotees may still visit the cave, but the numbers this year fall short of the estimated half a million devotees who took part in 2024. Officials appealed to Hindus to undertake the pilgrimage, ramping up security for the event by deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the grueling trek to the cave, dedicated to Shiva, the deity of destruction. On Sunday, Indian forces exchanged fire with gunmen for a third day in Kulgam, far from the Amarnath pilgrimage route. Soldiers have killed two militants, a senior police officer said. Kashmir has been divided between the India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, with both administering it in part and claiming in full. Rebel groups have fought Indian forces for decades, demanding Kashmir's independence or its merger with Pakistan.
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Under heavy guard, Hindu pilgrimage resumes at site of Kashmir attack
PAHALGAM, Indian-administered Kashmir — Two months after militants targeted Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people and sparking conflict between India and Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims set out from Pahalgam, the site of the attack, for an annual pilgrimage through the disputed territory. The Indian government has deployed a security force of tens of thousands to facilitate the journey by devotees through one of the most militarized zones in the world.
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
In contested Kashmir, Hindus begin month-long pilgrimage to cave shrine under heavy guard
PAHALGAM (India), July 3 — Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Indian Kashmir today, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected — triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire. But pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP 'there is no fear of any kind'. 'Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,' he said. Indian security personnel patrol near a base camp in Baltal on July 2, 2025, ahead of Amarnath Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage. — AFP pic India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. 'We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,' said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. 'Not afraid' At Pahalgam, soldiers have turned a tented base camp into a fortress encircled by razor wire. Troops in newly deployed armoured cars, or from gun positions behind sandbags, keep a close watch — efforts boosted by facial recognition cameras. 'High-quality surveillance cameras have been installed at all major points along the route,' said Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Jammu and Kashmir. All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys, until they start out to walk. Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food. Electronic radio cards pinpoint their location. Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres high, around 30 kilometres uphill from the last easily motorable track. 'Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation),' said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India's Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine. 'Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.' Security personnel stand guard on the top of a mountain ahead of the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath at Chandanwari, about 115 km southeast of Srinagar, on June 26, 2025. — AFP pic Sinha has said that 'public confidence is returning', but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10 per cent this year. Once a modest, little-known ritual, attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed insurgency erupted in 1989. India's government has since heavily promoted the annual event, which runs until August 9. Rebels fighting against India's control of Kashmir have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it was used to assert Hindu dominance. In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people. The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces in Kashmir where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed. On June 22, India's National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area who they said had 'provided food, shelter and logistical support' to the gunmen. Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they said were Pakistani citizens. — AFP
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
Seven killed in helicopter crash in India's Uttarakhand state
Seven people, including a toddler, have been killed in India's northern Uttarakhand state when a helicopter ferrying them for a Hindu pilgrimage crashed in the Himalayas, officials say. Officials from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority told reporters the chopper took off at about 5:30am (00:00 GMT) on Sunday from the temple town of Kedarnath for Guptkashi, a town some 37km (23 miles) away, but crashed shortly after takeoff. The deceased have been identified as the pilot, Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and passengers Vikram Rawat, Vinod Devi, Trishti Singh, Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shraddha Jaiswal and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi. The bodies were badly burned in a fire that followed the crash, authorities said. Uttarakhand's State Disaster Response Force told the ANI news agency that the crash site is located in a remote and dense forest area, adding that the rescue operation is under way in coordination with the local police. Officials said the crash was believed to have been caused by poor weather conditions. In a post on X, Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called the incident 'very sad'. Kedarnath, standing at an altitude of 3,584 metres (11,759 feet), is home to one of the four most sacred Hindu temple shrines and receives tens of thousands of pilgrims each year during the summer season. To avoid the arduous trekking in the mountainous terrain, affluent pilgrims often use helicopter charter services. But mishaps are common in the treacherous region, where sudden weather changes and high-altitude flying conditions can pose risks. On June 7, a helicopter operating in the Kedarnath Valley made an emergency landing on a highway due to a technical fault shortly after taking off. The pilot was injured, but all five passengers on board were unharmed. Last month, a helicopter crashed in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. One person survived. Indian media reports said Sunday's crash was the fifth such incident in less than two months. It also came only days after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of 242 passengers on board and dozens of others on the ground.
Al Jazeera
15-06-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Seven killed in helicopter crash in India's Uttarakhand state
Seven people, including a toddler, have been killed in India's northern Uttarakhand state when a helicopter ferrying them for a Hindu pilgrimage crashed in the Himalayas, officials say. Officials from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority told reporters the chopper took off at about 5:30am (00:00 GMT) on Sunday from the temple town of Kedarnath for Guptkashi, a town some 37km (23 miles) away, but crashed shortly after takeoff. The deceased have been identified as the pilot, Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and passengers Vikram Rawat, Vinod Devi, Trishti Singh, Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shraddha Jaiswal and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi. The bodies were badly burned in a fire that followed the crash, authorities said. Uttarakhand's State Disaster Response Force told the ANI news agency that the crash site is located in a remote and dense forest area, adding that the rescue operation is under way in coordination with the local police. #WATCH | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand: Today, a helicopter operating a flight on the sector Shri Kedarnath to Guptkashi was involved in an accident. A total of 07 people were on board this helicopter, who died on the spot. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched under the direction… — ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2025Officials said the crash was believed to have been caused by poor weather conditions. In a post on X, Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called the incident 'very sad'. Kedarnath, standing at an altitude of 3,584 metres (11,759 feet), is home to one of the four most sacred Hindu temple shrines and receives tens of thousands of pilgrims each year during the summer season. To avoid the arduous trekking in the mountainous terrain, affluent pilgrims often use helicopter charter services. But mishaps are common in the treacherous region, where sudden weather changes and high-altitude flying conditions can pose risks. On June 7, a helicopter operating in the Kedarnath Valley made an emergency landing on a highway due to a technical fault shortly after taking off. The pilot was injured, but all five passengers on board were unharmed. Last month, a helicopter crashed in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. One person survived. Indian media reports said Sunday's crash was the fifth such incident in less than two months. It also came only days after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of 242 passengers on board and dozens of others on the ground.
