Hyderabad: Up to 8,000 Amarnath pilgrims belonging to AP and Telangana were stopped in Jammu in view of riots and curfew following the violence over the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani.
The relatives of some of the devotees were unable to talk to their family members because their phones were switched off due to weak battery or weak signals.
A travel agency owner from Nellore reportedly told family members that he was also unable to get information for want of phone connection.
Telangana’s in-charge DGP Anjani Kumar spoke to Mr S.M. Sahai, additional DGP (law and order) of Jammu and Kashmir, regarding the safety of around 8,000 Amarnath pilgrims from the two Telugu states.
Mr Kumar requested Mr Sahai to make arrangements for providing food, medicines and shelter to these pilgrims. The pilgrims would start their return journey to Hyderabad late this evening, he said.
The Telangana state government has no idea of how many pilgrims who went for Amarnath yatra are stranded.
Resident commissioner of Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi, Shashank Goel, told this newspaper that the government was in touch with J&K officials and would make arrangements for the pilgrims to return home. Mr Goel said no one had approached Telangana Bhavan for help.
TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao directed chief secretary Rajiv Sharma and officials in Telangana Bhavan to make transport arrangements.
Earlier, Goshamahal BJP MLA Raja Singh stoked fire by saying “Muslims in Kashmir” were creating trouble for stranded Hindu pilgrims and demanded the Centre and the state government to initiate tough measures against them.
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