The train was 100% booked within hours of launch by PM Modi Friday on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha. The return journey is also fully booked, as are the journeys on Sunday.
FIR registered on grounds of 'violating the law of the land', team set up to nab them for 'hurting sentiments', the Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a statement.
Unlike the past initiatives such as battery-powered cars from Ardhkunwari to Bhawan and helicopter rides, the ropeway project is being seen as the biggest killer of local businesses.
Katra town in J&K has seen protests for over a month, with locals, business communities & pony operators opposing the ropeway project due to concerns over potential loss of livelihood.
The 15,000-strong community demands a resolution to decades-long Vaishno Devi shrine issue. But BJP hopes that it will be rewarded for carving out Vaishno Devi as a constituency.
Toll stands at nine dead and 42 injured, according to list of victims prepared by Reasi administration. Thirty-five of the injured are from Uttar Pradesh.
Eyewitnesses as well as vendors on the 13-km route said the new year’s rush resulted in a much bigger crowd than the 35,000 people who were anticipated. J&K DGP says scuffle triggered stampede.
The university located at Kakriyal near Katra town, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi shrine, was taken to contain the spread and ensure the safety of the public.
The stampede was triggered as a crowd of devotees came to pay their obeisance at the temple to mark the New Year. Among the injured, four were stated to be in critical condition.
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