No change in schedule of Amarnath Yatra, says Union home ministry

GUWAHATI: The Union home ministry will not meddle with the schedule of Amarnath Yatra after a separatist leader in Kashmir said the annual pilgrimage should be restricted to 30 days. Union minister of home affairs Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday that religious route cannot be regulated by political dictate.

He was reacting to a statement by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who said the Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas should be restricted for the safety of pilgrims and protection of environment. The yatra this year will last for 59 days from July 2.