Amarnath yatra suspended from Jammu due to protests in support of Article 35A

Jammu: Amarnath yatra was today suspended from Jammu in view of the two day separatist sponsored strike against the legal challenge in the Supreme Court on the validity of Article 35-A.

There were reports of partial strike and peaceful rallies in support of the Article 35-A from Chenab valley districts of Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar. Various religious and social organisations have given the two-day strike to safeguard the constitutional provision. A police official said the yatra was suspended from here as a precautionary measure in view of the strike called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL).

A few hundred pilgrims camping in Jammu to join the yatra to the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas were not allowed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp this morning, the officials said.

The separatists and the major political parties including National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) CPI(M) and the state unit of Congress have been demanding status quo on the Article 35-A, which bars people from outside Jammu and Kashmir from acquiring any immovable property in the state. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a PIL challenging the validity of the Article 35-A tomorrow.

The state government has filed an application before the Registrar of the Supreme Court, informing that it is going to seek adjournment of the hearing of the petition in view of the “ongoing preparations for the upcoming Panchayat, urban local body and municipal elections in the state”.

Groups of people also staged peaceful rallies at several places including Gool, Sangaldan and Banihal in support of the Article 35A, the officials said, adding local public transport remained off the roads in many areas of the hilly districts.