Amaath Yatra pilgrims chant religious slogans at women in hijab, burqa
Jammu: As the fifteenth batch of pilgrims left Jammu for the twin bases of the annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir, some devotees were heard chanting religious slogans at women wearing a hijab and burqa.
A viral video shows men on a bus travelling to the pilgrimage site leaning out of the vehicle after spotting women in burqa and hijab, then chanting “Har Har Mahadev” at them.
One of the men could be seen waving to the locals and chanting slogans at little girls and groups of women wearing coverings.
Following the virality, Congress leader Pawan Khera shared the video on X, asking, “What could be more absurd than chanting Har Har Mahadev slogans right in front of little girls wearing hijabs on the streets of Kashmir?”
He said that although undertaking the Amarnath Yatra is a Hindu’s right, it is “equally a great duty” to respect the sentiments of the people of the region and their local sensitivities. “This is the path of Mahadev,” he said.
“The truth is that we talk about religion day and night, but forget its principles first and foremost. Perhaps this is what they call Kaliyug (Age of Darkness in Hinduism).”
More than 3.25 lakh pilgrims have offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine till now.
The fresh batch of 5,201 pilgrims had 92 sadhus, nine sadhvis, 3,970 men, 1,124 women, five children and one transperson, who left in a convoy of 251 vehicles escorted by CRPF and the police.
Officials said the convoy departed in two separate groups. The Baltal convoy, carrying 1,745 pilgrims in 74 vehicles, left at 3 am, while the Pahalgam convoy, comprising 3,456 pilgrims in 177 vehicles, departed at 3.30 am, they said.
With Thursday’s departure, a total of 1,04,488 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for Kashmir since the yatra commenced on July 2.
The Bhagwati Nagar base camp echoed with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole,” “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Barfani Baba Ki” as devotees set out on the pilgrimage. Many pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the yatra.
The 57-day annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine is scheduled to conclude on August 28.
This post was last modified on July 16, 2026 2:18 pm