All the 17 people from the district who had gone to Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra are safe.
“We were in panic after violence erupted in the valley and curfew was imposed. But now we are safe here. Some of us will fly back by Tuesday,” Subhash Chayagol, chairman of the Karnataka Border Development Authority, who is part of the group, told The Hindu over phone from Srinagar on Monday. According to him, nearly 6,000 Kannadigas are in Kashmir to participate in the yatra.
Instructions
Mr. Chayagol said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had instructed officials in the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi to make arrangements for the safety of Kannadigas.
“The Karnataka Bhavan has despatched a group of officials here who are working round the clock to ensure our safety. After the violence broke out, many pilgrims were stranded for some time. We have so far not received any report of any Kannadiga facing any other trouble,” Mr. Chayagol said.
Thanking security personnel for ensuring the safety of those who are from outside Jammu and Kashmir who are staying in hotels, he said that the Army had deployed personnel outside hotels.
Mr. Chayagol said that his group had reached Kashmir on Friday.
“It was then we heard of violence in Kashmir and security forces asked us to stay inside the hotel. The authorities later blocked all the mobile networks in the valley. The services were restored only on Sunday,” he said. Mr. Chayagol said that the yatra had resumed and many were proceeding to Amarnath while those who had visited the site were returning.
