The Amarnath shrine, nestled in the Himalayas, is once again ready to reverberate with the chants of devotees. According to the Jammu and Kashmir administration, this time the yatra will begin from 3rd July 2025 and continue till 9th August 2025. It is expected that this year more than 5 lakh devotees will arrive to have darshan of ‘Baba Barfani’.
The preparations for the Amarnath Yatra for the year 2025 have picked up pace and the administration seems to be alert on every front regarding security and convenience of the devotees. Due to the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, strict security arrangements have been made for this yatra.
Security arrangements for Amarnath Yatra
It is said that when faith collides with mountains, it becomes immortal. Shri Amarnath Yatra is not only a symbol of religious faith, but is also a living example of India’s cultural unity and devotion, that is why devotees from all over the country are excited to have the darshan of ‘Baba Barfani’ and the administration is also making strong arrangements for their security.
Actually, pilgrims go to the cave through two routes for Amarnath Yatra, one of which is the Pahalgam route which is 48 kilometers long and relatively easier to follow, but a few days ago there was a terrorist attack there, in which 26 innocent Hindu tourists lost their lives. The other is the Baltal route which is 14 kilometers shorter but it is a challenging path for the pilgrims. After the Pahalgam attack, the government has given the highest priority to the security of the Yatra, so that the devotees can travel in a safe environment.
For this purpose, this year, the maximum number of security personnel will be deployed for the safety of the pilgrims in this 38-day long yatra, about 50 thousand. These include the jawans of the central paramilitary forces like Jammu Kashmir Police, CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Apart from these forces, there will also be bomb squads at various places and the yatra will be monitored not only by CCTV cameras, but also by AI technology including drones etc. At the same time, when the convoy of devotees will pass, the roads leading to the National Highway will also be blocked. There will be a jammer mounted on every convoy. CRPF jawans will also have satellite phones in their hands. Not only this, the pilgrims will be given radio frequency IDs which will be with them in the convoy and security personnel will be deployed at every step.
Overall, this time the government has taken every necessary step to make the Amarnath Yatra completely safe and peaceful, so that the devotees can complete their journey without any fear.
History of terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatra
The Amarnath Yatra has been the target of Islamic terrorists since 1990. According to a report of 2023, there have been about 36 terrorist attacks on the yatra in the past 32 years. The first attack took place in 1993 and after that for four consecutive years, i.e. till 1996, terrorists carried out continuous attacks every year. The biggest attack on the yatra took place in the year 2000.
At that time, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists opened indiscriminate fire at the Pahalgam base camp, in which 32 people died and about 60 people were injured. After this, there was another attack in 2001. This time grenades were thrown at the pilgrims’ camp near Sheshnag Lake, in which 12 people died and 15 people were injured.
There was another grenade attack in 2002 and in 2006, a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims was targeted. Then in 2017, there was another attack, when terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims, killing 7 people and injuring 32. After this, the security system has become so strong that there has been no major terrorist attack in the last 6 years (since 2017). But now, just two months before the pilgrimage was to begin, the Pahalgam terrorist attack has again tried to spoil the atmosphere of the Kashmir Valley.
Why is there so much threat to the faith of Hindus
It is worth noting that the stories of attacks on the faith of Hindus are not new. The attacks that have been happening for years make it clear that Islamic terrorists not only have a problem with Hindu religious places and pilgrimages, but they have a problem with Hindus in general. This is the reason why sometimes they target devotees visiting Vaishno Devi and sometimes tourists visiting Pahalgam.
Their effort is to create fear in the minds of Hindus and weaken them mentally so that such pilgrimages can never be successful, meanwhile whenever there is a Muslim festival or Namaz, have you ever heard of terrorist attacks there? Probably not.
In our country, there is no need to provide security to mosques, but temples and pilgrimages have to be protected like a fortress. From this, we understand that Hindus are unsafe in their own country. Hindus are definitely in majority in India, but despite this, they have to be cautious again and again while practicing their faith. This situation becomes more disturbing when this country is called ‘Hindustan’ but the Hindus themselves live in fear during their festivals, while visiting temples and during pilgrimages.
This is not limited to Amarnath Yatra alone. Controversies and protests are repeatedly raised at places like Kashi, Ayodhya, Mathura. If a Hindu raises his voice for a temple, he is called a ‘fundamentalist’, but if a religious organization openly threatens Hindus, it is called the ‘right of minorities’.
This problem is not just of terrorism being spread from across the border, but of a fundamentalist mindset that has developed within the country, which repeatedly tries to belittle the faith of Hindus. People with this mindset are troubled by the worship, temples, and pilgrimages of Hindus. They openly say that if a temple is built in their area, they will have to demolish it. These people earn in India but when they get a chance, they show their religious fanaticism and express their love for Pakistan.
The original Hindi report can be read here.
