GANDERBAL, India—The specter of recent violence in Indian-administered Kashmir overshadowed celebrations for a Hindu festival on Wednesday, with crowds a fraction of their usual size despite heavy security to mollify fears of an attack. The annual gathering takes place at the Kheer Bhawani temple, a short drive from the city of Srinagar, and is usually a major religious milestone for the local Pandit community. ‘Boycotted because of fear’Only around 2,000 people made the pilgrimage to the Kheer Bhawani shrine on Wednesday, officials told AFP — a fraction of the huge crowds seen in earlier years. Sandeep Raina, a community representative, told AFP that most people living in Pandit resettlement projects had stayed away in protest. “I have been doing it for six years,” he told AFP.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 09, 2022 09:37 UTC