1996 Amarnath Yatra tragedy
Encyclopedia
1996 Amarnath Yatra tragedy is referred to the deaths of over 250 pilgrims in 1996 in Jammu and Kashmir
state in India
due to bad weather. The pilgrims were on annual pilgrimage (Yatra
) to Amarnath
shrine.
The Government had banned the Amarnath Yatra from 1991 to 1995 due to threats from militants. In 1996 the militants had assured that they would not interfere with the yatra. So the number of pilgrims in 1996 were higher than usual.
Between, August 21 and 25 1996 about one hundred thousand yatris were simultaneously moving either up or down between Jammu
and the Amarnath.
During this period there was unusually heavy snowfall along with severe blizzards along the yatra route. Nearly 242 yatris lost their lives due to exhaustion, exposure, freezing, etc.
National Conference
government constituted a committee headed by the retired IAS
officer Dr. Nitish Sengupta which was asked to inquire into various aspects of the tragedy and suggest measures and remedies to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
due to bad weather. The pilgrims were on annual pilgrimage (Yatra
Yatra
' , in Hinduism and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage to a holy site, and is...
) to Amarnath
Amarnath
Located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and situated on Mount Amarnath, the Amarnath caves are one of the most famous shrines in Hinduism. Dedicated to the god Shiva, the shrine is said to be over 5,000 years old...
shrine.
The Government had banned the Amarnath Yatra from 1991 to 1995 due to threats from militants. In 1996 the militants had assured that they would not interfere with the yatra. So the number of pilgrims in 1996 were higher than usual.
Between, August 21 and 25 1996 about one hundred thousand yatris were simultaneously moving either up or down between Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
and the Amarnath.
During this period there was unusually heavy snowfall along with severe blizzards along the yatra route. Nearly 242 yatris lost their lives due to exhaustion, exposure, freezing, etc.
National Conference
National Conference
National Conference may refer to:In India:*Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, the largest political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India.*Manipur National Conference, a political party in the Indian state of Manipur that was formed in 2002....
government constituted a committee headed by the retired IAS
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
officer Dr. Nitish Sengupta which was asked to inquire into various aspects of the tragedy and suggest measures and remedies to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.