The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday demanded that the Rajasthan government ensure the safe return of Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir. These pilgrims are stranded there following clashes at Amarnath Yatra base camp near Baltal. Drawing the attention of the Speaker in the State Assembly, BJP MLA Gyandeo Ahuja said that nearly 100 people who had gone for the pilgrimage from Ajmer were trapped and at least 30 of them were injured. He also said that he had asked Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to make the same kind of efforts which were made to bring back Indians from Iraq.
Two other MLAs also raised the matter after which Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, informed the House that all Rajasthani pilgrims to Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand were safe.
Responding to the queries raised by the members during Zero Hour, Mr Kataria said he had personally spoken to the Director General of Police (J&K) and the CEO of the Shree Amarnath Shrine Board and had been informed that none of those injured in the clashes were from Rajasthan. Similarly, he had also spoken to the senior police officers of Uttarakhand who had told him that all pilgrims from Rajasthan were safe.
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At least 37 persons, including few security force personnel, were injured in the clashes that broke out on Friday morning after a dispute between pony owners and those running community kitchens. The Amarnath yatra, which was suspended following the clashes resumed today after normalcy was restored.
In Uttarakhand, heavy rains forced the government to stop pilgrims from going towards Badrinath and Kedarnath.