Hundreds of thousands of Hindus visit the Amarnath cave, 12,000 feet (3,658 m) above sea level in the picturesque Lidder Valley, in the months of July and August every year.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and condemned the dastardly Amarnath terror attack.
As social media platforms explode with condemnation and regret for the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, there are others which blame the government for not being efficient enough in handling the terror situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a tweet, President Pranab Mukherjee expressed his grief over the loss of innocent lives in the incident.
The governor and the Union ministers discussed various issues relating to security in the wake of the militant attack on Amarnath pilgrims, he said. “It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive”, Singh had tweeted on Tuesday.
The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries declared a shutdown in Jammu today following Monday night’s attack on the Amarnath pilgrims.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack as the most reprehensible act and said this incident should add to the nation’s determination to eliminate terrorism.
In a terrorist attack in 2002, eight Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 30 were injured at a pilgrim base camp in Nuwan in Anantnag, reports said. He could not save seven lives but managed to move over 50 people to a safe place. I have no words to condemn it.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minster Mehbooba Mufti called for a Cabinet meeting on Monday, in view of the attack, ANI reported.
She said efforts will be made to ensure that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done. While humanity has been shamed with this cowardly act, I appeal Shree Amarnath Shrine board to provide maximum compensation to the families of those killed and injured.
Meanwhile, Director General of CRPF R R Bhatnagar has reached Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route. So far, almost 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.
The number of paramilitary personnel deployed this year is 9,500 more than last year.
The bus – GJ 09 Z 9976 – was registered in North Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, but the owner had sold the bus to one Jawahar Desai of Valsad, Gujarat. 19 others were also badly injured as terrorists targeted a private bus carrying 56 passengers at Botengo village near Anantnag, on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.