Amarnath pilgrims have frequently remained soft targets for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The Amarnath Yatra, a significant pilgrimage for Hindus, is highly visible and symbolic, making it an attractive target for terrorists seeking to generate fear and garner attention. There are indeed logistical challenges to providing foolproof security and the large gatherings of pilgrims complicate efforts to prevent such attacks. Here is a list of 10 notable attacks on Amarnath pilgrims over the years in Jammu and Kashmir:
9 June 2024: A bus carrying pilgrims to the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi temple was attacked by terrorists in the Reasi district, authorities said, causing the death of at least 10 people and injured 33 after the vehicle fell into a deep gorge.
May 2022: Four Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed and 24 injured when a bus from Katra to Jammu caught fire because of a bomb planted by terrorists.
10 July 2017: Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 15 injured when militants attacked a bus carrying at least 56 passengers at Botengo village near Anantnag, on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, in South Kashmir.
21 July 2006: Five pilgrims were killed when terrorists attacked a bus with grenades near Beehama, Ganderbal. The bus was returning from the Baltal base camp of the Amarnath Yatra??.
6 August 2002: Terrorists attacked the Nunwan base camp near Pahalgam, killing nine people, including six pilgrims and three civilians. The attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants.
20 July 2001: A terrorist threw grenades and fired indiscriminately at a pilgrim camp near Sheshnag Lake, killing 13 people including pilgrims and local support staff?.?
2 August 2000: The largest attack in Amarnath Yatra history occurred when terrorists attacked the base camp at Pahalgam. Thirty-two people, including 21 pilgrims and seven local shopkeepers, were killed, and 60 were injured in the two-hour assault?.
28 July 1998: Terrorists attacked a group of Amarnath pilgrims, resulting in the deaths of 20 people. The attack took place at the Sheshnag campsite, a resting point for pilgrims on their way to the Amarnath cave?.
2 August 1994: On August 2, terrorists killed five pilgrims and injured several others at the Amarnath Yatra base camp in Pahalgam. This attack was one of the early instances targeting the pilgrimage, which has since seen repeated violence? (India Today)?.
15 August 1993: Militants attacked a convoy of pilgrims enroute to the Amarnath shrine killing eight people. The attack highlighted the increasing risk faced by pilgrims during the annual yatra?.
Link to article –
A timeline of 10 terror attacks on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir
