VHP confident of peaceful culmination of upcoming Amarnath yatra in J&K

VHPs Central Working President Alok Kumar on Thursday expressed confidence that the upcoming Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir will be incident-free given the measures taken by the government. He also said the displaced Kashmiri Pandits will be rehabilitated back in the valley after all necessary measures will be taken to ensure their safety. The devotees coming for darshan's glimpse of Baba Barfani Amarnath do so with their lives in their hands.

VHP's Central Working President Alok Kumar on Thursday expressed confidence that the upcoming Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir will be incident-free given the measures taken by the government.

He also said the displaced Kashmiri Pandits will be rehabilitated back in the valley after all necessary measures will be taken to ensure their safety.

"The devotees coming for 'darshan' (glimpse) of Baba Barfani (Amarnath) do so with their lives in their hands. More the challenge, so the number (of devotees) increases and as per my knowledge, there will be no untoward incident and the yatra will conclude successfully," Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a sit-in protest at Sunderbani in Rajouri district.

The 43-day-long yatra to the 3,880-meter-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes – traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir's Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal.

Protesters belonging to Bajrang Dal blocked Jammu-Rajouri national highway at Sunderbani for nearly two hours as part of the VHP's nationwide protests against the June 10 violence in parts of the country.

Asked about the targeted killings by terrorists in Kashmir, he said it is a major challenge and part of a conspiracy since 1947.

"Earlier governments were supportive but this government (BJP) has taken various steps and the society is also standing with it. I have heard that those facing threats have been transferred to district headquarters," the VHP leader said.

"Security forces are successful in foiling terrorist attacks 99 times, but they (militants) also succeed in carrying out one attack which is enough (for disturbing peace). The government has taken new measures and I am sure that the lives of the innocents will be safeguarded," he said.

On the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, he said the government is taking steps in this direction. "They will return (to Kashmir) as the people in the valley have also understood that they will not live like this...they will not be sent with ordinary arrangements. Let there be patience on this and they will be sent only when there is adequate security for them," he said.

Responding to a question about threats held out to now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, he said "if any hand tries to reach her, that hand will be cut down".

''Whether she or (expelled BJP leader) Naveen Jindal had committed a crime or not will be decided by the court and not by the mob. We are on the roads against the recent violence targeted against Hindus and warn the perpetrators that they will find us standing with police for the safety of our community," he said.

He said both Sharma and Jindal need not worry about the threats as "the country is run by the rule of law with a man of 56-inch chest (leading the nation)".

Earlier, Kumar addressed the protesters and said "the India of 2022 is different and the historic wrongs will be set right by the Constitution and the law of the land." "Bulldozers were sent to know the address of those behind last Friday's violence and many of them were arrested and will be fined for the damage caused by them. The Indian government is strong enough to maintain law and order," he said, claiming that VHP and Bajrang Dal only act in "self-defense" for the safety of the Hindus.

The VHP leader said the Hindus are going to get back to the places of their worship in both Kashi and Mathura through a legal course.

"The birthplace of Ram was returned and so will be our sacred places in both Kashi and Mathura as 'Shivji is in a hurry. Some people like (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Assaduddin) Owaisi has a problem, otherwise, the Muslim community is largely concerned only for their bread and butter and does not believe in rioting," he said.