Land row hits Buddha Amarnath yatra 
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Mandi (Poonch), August 17
The agitation over the Amarnath land row has seriously affected the flow of pilgrims to the Buddha Amarnath yatra this year. The Buddha Amarnath pilgrimage is considered the equivalent of the Amarnath yatra in its religious sanctity.
The yatra, which concluded on August 14, also witnessed Muslims staying away from the religious affair, following alleged attacks on its community members between Akhnoor and Nowshera, on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway.
“The main religious function of the week-long pilgrimage is held on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan wherein the procession of Chhari Mubarak starts from Akhara Mandir in Poonch to here. Thousands of devotees and sadhus “normally” accompany the procession which leads towards the Swami Buddha Amarnath mandir here on foot. While on way from Poonch to Mandi, free langar is also provided to pilgrims. Stalls are set up and Muslims welcome the pilgrims and Chhari Mubarak by providing them refreshment en-route”, said one of the religious priests.
“The procession reaches Rajpura on the same day, where it is received by the district administration, people and workers of the trust at the gate of the Swami Buddha Amarnath mandir and the Chhari Mubarak. From there it is taken to the main shrine”, he added.
Sources in the district administration said whereas the number of pilgrims visiting the Buddha Amarnath Shrine here last year was close to 1 lakh, the number of pilgrims this year was just around 12,000. They attributed the decrease in the number of pilgrims due to the Amarnath land row.
The locals said though they used to welcome pilgrims on the day the Chhari Mubarak used to reach here, but since many of their members were beaten up activists of the Bajrang Dal and the BJP along the Jammu-Poonch National Highway, they observed a strike on that particular day.
“A local driver Muhammad Bashir was beaten up by activists of the Bajrang Dal and the BJP near Nowshera on August 9. The activists shaved his beard, took him to a temple and asked him to raise religious slogans of their community. Many girl students returning after appearing in exams at the Aligarh Muslim University were also abused by the activists near Sunderbani. There are instances where the activists also attacked drivers of a particular community after seeing their identity cards. This is shocking”, Aahad Ahmed, a local shopkeeper, said.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner, Poonch, Muhammad Afzal confirmed that this year the rush to pilgrimage was less. “This is largely due to the ongoing Amarnath land row”, the DC said.