Jammu, July 3 -- Amid chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev', Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims from Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar here on Wednesday morning.

A total of 5,892 pilgrims in a convoy of 310 vehicles left the base camp amid tight security arrangements. The CRPF's vehicles mounted with automatic weapons escorted the convoy.

A total of 3,403 pilgrims comprising 2,647 men, 467 women, eight children,16 transgenders, 200 sadhus and 65 sadhvis left in 144 vehicles for the Pahalgam route and 2,489 pilgrims comprising 1,748 men, 576 women, 23 children, 135 sadhus and seven sadhvis left in 166 vehicles for Baltal routes," said an official at the ...