The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, led by Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Girish Chandra Murmu, on Tuesday cancelled the annual Amarnath Yatra in the Valley, reversing its earlier decision.

“The board decided with a heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation,” an official spokesperson said.

Live telecast and virtual darshan will be available to the devotees, the official said.

It is the first time that the yatra has been cancelled in decades. Last year, the pilgrimage was cut short ahead of the scrapping of Article 370.

The shrine board on Tuesday ordered the cancellation of the pilgrimage for the second time in three months. The yatra usually starts around June but on April 22, the board announced its cancellation. On the same evening, however, the administration withdrew the announcement without any explanation.

On July 4, chief secretary B.V.R. Subramhmanyam said the yatra would be undertaken in a restricted manner in view of the pandemic. He had announced that 500 pilgrims would be allowed per day by road but no dates were given. The decision triggered uproar in the Valley with many asking why the yatra was the only event to be exempt while all religious gatherings were banned since March.

Last week, Jammu and Kashmir High Court asked the board to take an urgent decision on holding the pilgrimage but said the health of every pilgrim should be on the “highest pedestal”.

The petition filed by Jammu lawyer Sachin Sharma, which had expressed reservations over the health of pilgrims, was permitted.

Another petition was filed in the Supreme Court, which had also left it to the government to take a decision after assessing the ground realities.
The official spokesperson said the board cancelled the yatra after a meeting with top officers, including the chief secretary.

“The board was informed that the arrangements were on track since February 2020, but due to the lockdown, state executive committee, Jammu and Kashmir, has still continued to keep religious places and places of worship closed for the public. These prohibitions will continue till July 31,” the official said.