Authorities in Jammu decided to suspend the Amarnath Yatra for three days from Monday to ensure pilgrims’ safety ahead of Independence Day celebrations in India and Pakistan, IANS reported. The police said no pilgrim was allowed to leave Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas for the Kashmir Valley on Monday.

While some media reports said the yatra was suspended to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims, PTI said it had been temporarily called off due to bad weather. But the pilgrimage would continue from the two base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam, IANS quoted a police officer as saying.

The annual pilgrimage had been halted in the first week of July for a few days due to the poor condition of roads after the state received heavy rainfall. At least 11 pilgrims have died during this year’s yatra, which started on June 28 and will end on August 26. As many as 2.79 lakh people have already gone on the pilgrimage so far.