Members of a cow protection group led by a BJP leader on Friday launched a Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari yatra from Lal Chowk here to spread awareness about the need to conserve cows.

It was the first of its kind initiative in the Valley that followed a series of measures aimed at turning Lal Chowk — once the ground zero of the azaadi movement — into a prime “nationalist symbol”.

BJP leader Surinder Ambardar, a Kashmiri Pandit, was the chief guest at the yatra organised by the Akhila Bharatha Gau Seva Foundation.

The organisers had also invited some Kashmiri artistes who staged a skit at Ghanta Ghar and claimed they had the support of two local groups — Team Kashmir Renaissance and Loul Kashmir Cultural Forum. A cow was paraded during the inaugural show.

Ambardar said the yatra was part of the “Save Cow, Save Earth” campaign. “If earth needs to be saved, cow protection is a must. We believe the cow is the mother of all animals. It is a symbol of non-violence and we believe cow milk is equal to mother’s milk,” Ambardar said.

Another participant said the cow had no religion and did not differentiate between Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

The organisers said the yatra would cover 4,900km across 14 states and end in March.