The Jammu district administration on Monday relieved all officers and officials deployed at key facilitation centres for the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2025. The move comes amid speculation over possible political developments in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
In an official order, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, announced that staff stationed at the Yatri Niwas Base Camp in Bhagwati Nagar, Ram Mandir in Purani Mandi, and Geeta Bhawan in Parade have been relieved with immediate effect. They have been directed to return to their original postings and resume regular duties. The order, signed by Additional District Development Commissioner Sher Singh, who is also the Nodal Officer for SANJY-2025, supersedes all previous deployment directives issued for the Yatra.
The decision comes just a day before August 5-the date on which Article 370 was scrapped in 2019-and amid heightened political chatter over the possible restoration of statehood or other administrative changes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Adding to the speculation, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that while he doesn’t expect any major announcement on August 5, he remains hopeful of a positive development during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. “Let me stick my neck out and say nothing will happen tomorrow—fortunately nothing bad will happen but unfortunately nothing positive will happen either,” Abdullah posted on X.
Abdullah clarified that his comments were based solely on “gut feeling” and that he had not held any meetings with Delhi’s top leadership. His post is being seen as an attempt to tone down social media rumours about a potential reorganisation of the Union Territory, especially after both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah met President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday.