13 killed in Amarnath

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JULY 21.At least 13 persons, including three women pilgrims and two police officials, were killed and 15 injured when a militant hurled two grenades at a camp and later fired indiscriminately near the holy cave late on Friday night.

The authorities have suspended the `yatra' and a major operation to flush out the militants has been launched.

A police spokesman said today that the incident took place around 1.25 a.m. near Sheshnag one of the highest stops en route the Amarnath cave where the ice `Shivalingam', personification of Lord Shiva, is worshipped.

The militant lobbed a grenade towards the camp which exploded but did not cause any damage. As the policemen rushed to the spot from the makeshift police post, the militant tossed another grenade which landed amid the police officials killing a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Parveen Kumar, and Sub-Inspector, Mr. Sahki Akbar, on the spot.

As chaos prevailed in the area due to darkness, the militant, police said, rushed towards a camp of sadhus and took shelter there. Police and paramilitary forces followed him which led to an exchange of fire. The crossfire continued for a long time and a number of pilgrims and locals who work as porters were caught in it. The exchange left a number of them in a pool of blood with bullets coming from every direction. By that time, the militant had shot himself. Before the injured could be removed to hospital, many of them had died. Sources said that five pilgrims, three of them women, had died of their injuries by afternoon. Three civilians who were there as vendors were also killed.

The 15 injured persons, including nine pilgrims and five policemen, have been shifted to the Army hospital where the condition of many of them is said to be critical. The spokesman said that the militant was affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and an AK-rifle and four magazines were recovered. However, the Al- Umar Mujahideen chief, Mr. Mushtaq Zargar, rang up newspaper offices here and owned the responsibility for the attack.

The Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr. G.C. Saxena, who is chairman of Amarnath Shrine Board, and the Minister for Power, Mr. Surjit Singh Salathia, flew to the site of massacre and talked to the stunned pilgrims.

Pahalgam deserted

Pahalgam town wore a deserted look after the killings as many pilgrims rushed back to their homes in panic. The authorities banned the movement from Pahalgam onwards and even mediapersons were not allowed beyond the town. Hundreds of pilgrims are stranded en route.

Shabir condemns attack

PTI reports:

The president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), Mr. Shabir Ahmad Shah, condemned the attack and said ``this is the handiwork of those who want to sabotage the ongoing peace process in the State''. ``We condemn in the strongest terms those responsible for the act as they are killers of humanity.''

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