Whisked away in large convoys, several pilgrims from the State started their long journey back home early on Monday from the troubled Kashmir valley.
Nearly 100 out of an estimated 400 persons from Karnataka stranded in Kashmir, where violence broke out since the killing of separatist Burhan Wani on July 7, travelled in a convey of buses from Srinagar to Jammu or Amritsar, said officials of the Karnataka Bhavan, who are coordinating the operations.
Among those who took the 16-hour journey starting at 12.30 a.m. was S.S Sampagavi, Hungund Tahsildhar, and seven members of his family. He was part of a tour group of 30 people who had engaged a bus from Jammu before the violence broke out. “After our visit to Amarnath, we were stuck at Pathal Chowk in Srinagar since July 8. On Sunday night, the military told us that we could proceed towards Jammu in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles,” he told The Hindu over phone from Amritsar.
At Pathal Chowk, around 200 tour buses had been parked with little access to drinking water or toilets. “We ate and slept in the bus. It was scary as we could hear firing 200m away,” he said.
Meanwhile, those stuck at Baltal camp near Amarnath were taken to Srinagar around 3 a.m. in a convoy of over 1,000 vehicles under heavy security escort. Leela Sampige, whose daughter Deepika was among those who undertook the journey, said they were now safely lodged in hotels. “As the curfew persists, they cannot hope to go out on their own. They hope to catch a convoy towards Jammu late on Monday night,” she said.
The team, set up at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi, expected another 200 persons to be transported out of Kashmir on Monday. “All from the State is safe, and by Tuesday morning, two major camps will be evacuated. The rest are in hotels and we are providing all channels of communication to help them leave Kashmir,” said Renu Kumar Aradhya, Deputy Resident Commissioner.
‘We ate and slept in the bus. It was scary as we could hear firing 200m away’
