At least nine persons including three policemen were on Saturday injured in a clash that broke out between poneywallas and security forces near Baltal base camp of Amarnath yatra in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The poneywallas allegedly turned violent and resorted to stone pelting on policemen at Dumail area when the cops tried to stop them from taking a fresh batch of pilgrims to the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine around 2 PM, officials said.
Police responded with baton charge and in the ensuing clash six poneywallas and three cops were injured.
Policemen guarding the base camp did not allow pilgrims to proceed towards the cave shrine after mid-day as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety, the officials said.
Confirming the clash, a police spokesman said senior officers have rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control.
"There was a brief clash after some miscreants among the poneywallas resorted to stone pelting," the spokesman said adding "the situation is completely normal now".