Amarnath Pilgrims land two days before the Yatra, authorities call it win of faith over terror

It's a win of faith over bullets; hundreds of Pilgrims have already arrived two days before the Amarnath Yatra starts in the Kashmir Valley. Srinagar's Yatri Niwas is buzzing with the chants of ''Bam Bam Bole'' and the administration, security forces and locals are fully prepared to welcome them.

Amarnath Nath Yatra is starting from July 3 and the preparations are in Full swing across the Kashmir Valley. The administration, security forces and the locals all together are gearing up for the grand welcome of Amarnath Yatri's this year.

After the Pahalgam attack, there was a decline in the registrations of the Yatri's but the administration, security forces and locals are working together to make Amarnath Yatra 2025 a memorable and safe experience.

Hundreds of Pilgrims from across the country have landed in Kashmir Valley and queued up outside the Yatri Niwas in Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar. These Pilgrims say that they will take the Pahalgam traditional route of Amarnath Yatra to send across a message to terrorists that they will not bow down in front of terror.

''We are not scared at all. There was some doubt when the attack had taken place and I had asked my family members if they would shut the Yatra, but they assured that no it won't be stopped. It was such a relief that Yatra was not closed down. The security forces made sure to keep the Yatra on. They have kept the check posts, and full arrangements for us. There is full proper security, and they are very friendly. I would ask everyone to come as security is full proof, '' said a Pilgrim.

The devotees expressed firm faith in the arrangements made by the authorities for the holy pilgrimage, saying that bullets and bombs cannot stop us from coming.

''We are not scared at all. Looking at the security arrangements we are very happy with the arrangements. We will take the yatra and we will walk till the cave, said Sharon, Pilgrim.

Chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole', hundreds of pilgrims were seen entering the yatra camps who will be part of the first batch headed to the holy cave.

''It's very nice here, The security is very tight. It's all for us. The security forces have done ample arrangements for us. Everything is perfect and it feels great to be here, '' said Devender, Pilgrim.

Jammu and Kashmir Police along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indian Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will be guarding the Amarnath Yatra routes this year.

Around 42,000 security personnel are deployed in Pahalgam alone, while additional 50,000 CRPF jawans will protect the convoy of pilgrims on both sides from Jammu to the holy cave along the national highway.

The Amarnath Yatra has been upgraded with all the Hi-Tech gadgetry and AI-based facial recognition systems this year. For the first time ever, the data of active terrorist and OGWs and other blacklisted peoples have been fed in the system. The moment anyone from the system walks in front of these FRS Cameras, it will start beeping. Meanwhile, Every pilgrim will be given RFID tags for real-time pilgrim tracking which is mandatory for their movement. High-resolution CCTV cameras and drones are placed for continuous surveillance with control rooms at base camps. Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) and bomb disposal squads are stationed at every strategic point.

''Jammu Kashmir Police with other forces have made elaborate arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra. Multi-layered and three tier security system arrangements are in place. We have made in-depth arrangements this year so that Yatra can pass off peacefully. We have taken help from the Facial Recognition system, we fed the system with the pictures of those adverse entities in the Police record and if they try to enter the area, the system will alert us and we can interject at the right time, ' said V K Birdi, IGP Kashmir.

However, At Both Pahalgam and Baltal routes, security forces have declared them as “No Flying Zones” from July 1 to August 10, 2025, except for authorized security or emergency aircraft. Anti-drone technology deployed to counter unauthorized aerial threats.