Amarnath Yatra 2023: In a major crackdown, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has detected fake registration permits of more than 430 pilgrims undertaking the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts. According to officials, cases have been registered and a probe launched into the matter. They further said at least 365 people were found carrying fake registration documents in Jammu and Lakhanpur entry points in Kathua district respectively, while 68 were intercepted with such fake documents in Samba district.
Approximately 300 fake registration permits for this year's Amarnath Yatra have been detected by the district administration in Jammu along with the police on Friday, the officials said.
Police investigation underway
Jammu Deputy Commissioner Jammu Avny Lavasa said an FIR has already been registered and a police investigation is underway. She also advised the pilgrims to register only from the official website of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board or the designated registration counters installed for the purpose. The Deputy Commissioner further urged the pilgrims to verify their registration permits in order to avoid any kind of inconvenience during the holy yatra.
In Kathua district, 65 such permits have been found fake, they said. The administration in Kathua came to the aid of pilgrims who have been issued fake permits by some travel agency outside the Union Territory, they said.
On reaching the Lakhanpur entry point on Friday, the credentials of 65 Amarnath Yatris mismatched with the Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Portal during e-KYC verification and issuance of RFID cards, they said.
Administration enquired about fraudulent registration details
The Kathua administration enquired about the fraudulent registration details and unmasked the deception to the yatris by some travel agency. The matter was handed over to the police for taking strict action against the fraudsters to thwart such incidents, the officials said.
"Any attempt to engage in fraudulent activities or circumvent the established protocols will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law," a senior officer said. In Samba district, 68 pilgrims on Amarnath Yatra were found carrying fake registration or yatra permits in Samba district, triggering the registration of an FIR, they said.
The pilgrims said their fake registration was done by Rahul Bhardwaj, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, who reportedly took Rs 7,000 per head for the same, they said, adding that a case has been registered and an investigation started into it.
Over 3 lakh pilgrims have registered so far
Over three lakh pilgrims have till now registered for the 62-day Amarnath Yatra -- the longest ever, the shrine board said. The number of registrations so far is 10 per cent more than last year, CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Mandeep Kumar Bhandari said.
The shrine board and the union territory administration are ready to welcome the yatris, he said. The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to start on July 1.
(With inputs from PTI)
