98,000 Pilgrims Barred from Hajj

Saudi Arabia has so far barred 98,000 would-be pilgrims from reaching Makkah after they failed to show the documents that would allow them to enter the sacred city in the western part of the kingdom during the Hajj season.

No one, including Saudi nationals and expatriates living in Saudi Arabia, is allowed into the city to perform Hajj if they are not registered with accredited Hajj operators and do not have the permits required by the authorities. A tight cordon is established around the city to ensure there is no breakthrough.

More than 1.4 million foreign pilgrims, about one-fourth of whom are from the Indian sub-continent, will perform Haj this year, Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Minister said on Tuesday ahead of the world’s largest annual gathering.

Despite the cordon and the regular warnings, thousands of people without proper papers invariably attempt to push their luck and way into the city, often by taking rugged dirt roads and through hills. However, the security servicemen often catch them and bar them from entering.

The decision to allow only those with valid documents is based on security and organisational concerns related to the large crowds expected to congregate in the area.

Last year, a 300-kilometre security cordon was established around Makkah to keep away infiltrators.

The cordon included 30 fixed checkpoints and 50 mobile patrols and a special support force of 200 members was on permanent standby for emergency cases.