During the New Year, my family and I undertook the sacred journey to Vaishno Devi with deep faith and devotion. However, what I witnessed during the yatra deeply disturbed and saddened me.

Along the entire route, horses were being forced to run continuously on steep paths without rest. Many of them were not provided proper food or even drinking water. Some horses looked exhausted, injured, and so weak that they could barely walk, yet they were still being pushed to carry heavy loads. I painfully witnessed horses being beaten with whips just to make them move faster.

It was heartbreaking to see innocent animals silently suffering at a holy place meant for devotion, kindness, and compassion. People come here seeking blessings and spiritual peace, but how can true devotion exist when such cruelty happens openly before everyone’s eyes?

These voiceless animals also feel pain, fear, hunger, and exhaustion. They deserve care, mercy, and dignity just like any living being. Is their suffering invisible to the authorities responsible for managing this sacred pilgrimage? Have we become so insensitive that the pain of helpless animals no longer matters?

I humbly urge the concerned authorities to take immediate and strict action to ensure proper monitoring, medical care, adequate food and water, and humane treatment of all horses used during the yatra. A sacred journey should never come at the cost of cruelty toward innocent lives.

I sincerely hope that compassion and humanity will prevail, and necessary steps will be taken so that faith is not overshadowed by suffering.