Jammu, June 1 (KNS): Under tight security, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits left for the Valley on Sunday morning to attend the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela. A convoy of 60 buses, flagged off by Relief Commissioner (Migrants) Arvind Karwani, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Sachin Kumar Vaishya, and senior police officers from Nagrota, is carrying the devotees to five Ragnya Bhagwati shrines at Tulmulla (Ganderbal), Manzgam and Devsar (Kulgam), Logripora (Anantnag), and Tikkar (Kupwara). The mela will be held on Tuesday.
This year, the turnout of devotees is significantly lower, likely due to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and the subsequent military escalation between India and Pakistan.
SSP Jammu Joginder Singh assured that all necessary security and logistical arrangements are in place for the safety and well-being of the pilgrims.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Many devotees expressed their determination to attend the mela despite the recent violence. Shruti Dhar, an elderly pilgrim who migrated from Sanat Nagar in Srinagar, said, “I have no fear. We have lived through such times before. I will offer prayers for peace, prosperity, and the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.”
A non-Kashmiri married to a Kashmiri Pandit, said she had no fear in her heart and was proud to visit Kashmir for the first time. “The attack in Pahalgam was a cowardly attempt to instil fear. We must defeat such designs by visiting in large numbers,” she added.
The devotees will offer prayers at the shrines on Tuesday and return to Jammu the following day.(KNS)