New Delhi, July 21: The annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage has been cancelled this year due to "current circumstances", said a statement issued by the Office of Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on Tuesday. The pilgrimage at the mountain shrine in Jammu & Kashmir was earlier scheduled to be held in a restricted manner, with only 500 pilgrims per day to be allowed. J&K Records Single-Day Spike of 751 COVID-19 Cases.

A meeting of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Shrine Board had convened today to discuss whether the Yatra should be conducted this year under the regular format. Reports claimed that the Board has decided to only take the holy mace of Lord Shiva, known as 'Charri Mubarak', to the shrine on August 3.

"Based upon the circumstances, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board decided that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," said the statement issued by Raj Bhavan, Government of Jammu & Kashmir.

Update by ANI

The shrine, also known as "Shivalinga", is located at peak of mountain in Pahalgam district, located in South Kashmir. The pilgrims are taken to the shrine each year through two routes - based in Pahalgam and Baltal each.

Security had been beefed up across the region over the past week to ensure a secured atmosphere for the pilgrims who were expected to arrive from various states of India.

The decision to cancel Amarnath Yatra comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across Jammu and Kashmir. The majority of new infections are centred in Kashmir Valley, which was to be visited by thousands of pilgrims if the Yatra was to be held this year.

As per the last update issued by the Health Department of Union Territory, J&K has recorded a total of 14,650 cases. The numbers include 6,122 active cases, out of which 1,207 cases belong to Jammu division and 4,915 casesto Kashmir division. Over 2.43 lakh persons are under surveillance, whereas, the death toll stood at 254.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 21, 2020 06:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).