Yamunotri portal opens up to rush of devotees, congestion on hillside path

The Char Dham Yatra began on Friday with the doors of Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri temples opening up for devotees. The Day 1 of the yatra saw a rush of devotees making their way to Yamunotri. A viral video showed a crowd of devotees, tightly packed on the hillside path.

The video, showing a precarious situation, sparked concerns about the safety of devotees and raised questions over the arrangements made by the administration.

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Devotees complained thay had to wait in line for hours and alleged mismanagement by the Uttarakhand government.

In a telephone conversation with India Today TV, the Superintendent of Police, Uttarkashi, Arpan Yaduvanshi, clarified that the viral video captured was from the pedestrian route between Janaki Chatti and Yamunotri Dham, around 5 pm yesterday.

He said that the incident was confined to an area within a 200-meter radius and that heavy rainfall was exacerbating the situation, coinciding with a significant influx of devotees heading towards Yamunotri Dham.

Consequently, people gathered to seek shelter from the rain, leading to the chaotic scene depicted in the video, the Superintendent of Police, Uttarkashi, said.

The police said that the situation was swiftly brought under control in the entire area, with no injuries reported.

A video shot around 2:30 pm today showed pilgrims trekking along the hillside path as light rain lashed the area.

Currently, the situation is normal, and the pilgrimage to Yamunotri Dham is proceeding smoothly, the police added.

Published By: Anuja Jha Published On: May 11, 2024