At least six Hindu pilgrims were killed in Indian Kashmir on Monday when militants attacked police guarding them during their trek to a remote mountain shrine, police said, an attack likely to raise tensions in the region.
Police inspector general Munir Ahmad Khan said the attack was aimed at a police commando group in Anantnag town, which lies on the way to the Amarnath shrine and was teeming with pilgrims. Six pilgrims and three policemen were wounded in the attack, he said.
The attack is likely to raise the ire of hardline Hindu groups tied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling groups who have long sought tough action against militants fighting Indian rule in Muslim majority Kashmir.
Amarnath cave: Where Shiva ‘explained the secret of life’ Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The cave is located high at an altitude of 3,888m and about 88 miles from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town.The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism, and is considered to be one of its holiest shrines.The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims.Thousands of Hindu devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave across challenging mountainous terrain to see an ice stalagmite formed inside the cave.According to a Hindu legend, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort, Parvati.It is mentioned in the ancient Hindu texts of Mahabharata and Puranas that Lingam represents Lord Shiva. Inside the 40 m (130 ft) high Amarnath cave, the stalagmite is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor. It is considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus.The Cave waxes during May to August, as snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave and the resultant water seeps into the rocks that form the cave and gradually wanes thereafter.As per religious beliefs, it has been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon reaching its height during the summer festival, although there is no scientific evidence for this belief.
Thousands of people have fled their homes in Pakistani Kashmir, officials said Monday, as continued shelling between Pakistan and India escalated tensions along the the de-facto border in the disputed Himalayan region.
Pakistani authorities confirmed the exodus saying around 3,000 people have left their villages along the Line of Control (LOC) in Abbaspur sector after heavy shelling by Indian troops over the past two weeks.
Sajid Hussain, a senior administration official in the area, said most of the people fled from four of the worst affected villages near the LOC in the Pakistani part of Kashmir.
‘We are in process of registering the migrating people,’ said Hussain, adding that many families have moved in with relatives while another 50 families took shelter in government buildings.
Elderly resident Muhammad Saiddique told AFP that about 80 percent of the people from his village near the LOC had fled.
At least six people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in Abbaspur sector in the latest wave of unrest along the LOC in the past two weeks, said Hussain.
Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, is one of the most heavily militarised spots on Earth with a long history of conflict.
Both countries claim the territory in full, and have fought two major wars over it.
The mountainous region is home to dozens of armed groups fighting for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.
The villagers’ flight comes as government forces clashed with stone-throwing protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday, as the volatile Himalayan territory marked the anniversary of a hugely popular rebel leader’s death.
Disputed Kashmir has seen an explosion of protests against Indian rule since government forces shot and killed Burhan Wani a year ago.
The death of the charismatic 23-year-old, who had built up a big following on social media, sparked an outpouring of grief and anger that spilled into the streets and led to months of clashes with security forces.
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