Amarnath Yatra: Over 7,000 pilgrims leave for twin base camps from Jammu
Jammu (PTI): A fresh batch of over 7,000 pilgrims left Jammu city early Saturday for the twin base camps in the Valley to join the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal -- on July 1.
The officials said the 13th batch of 7,392 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a convoy of 272 vehicles amid tight security.
While 4,024 pilgrims left for Pahalgam in a convoy of 146 vehicles, 3,368 devotees left for Baltal in 126 vehicles around 4 am, they said.
With this, a total of 80,181 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 30.
Pilgrims from across the country undertake the Amarnath Yatra to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine that houses a naturally formed ice shivlingam.
At 24,445, the highest number of pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine on Friday. So far, over 1.90 lakh devotees have undertaken the yatra.
This number is likely to cross the 2-lakh mark by this evening, the officials said.
The pilgrims are being provided all the facilities by the departments concerned round the clock, they said.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
