Security agencies on toes ahead of Amarnath Yatra

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 8

Security forces in J&K have been on high alert after receiving inputs that terrorists based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) may try to disrupt the 43-day Amarnath Yatra that is scheduled to start on June 30.

Recently, three top terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) were gunned down in the forest area of Srichand Top in Pahalgam of Anantnag district, which is very close to the yatra route. The police suspect the ultras had come for a recce of the area for sabotaging the pilgrimage.

A meeting was held in the headquarters of counter-insurgency Kilo Force on May 4 to review the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra. The conference was chaired by Major General SS Slaria, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Kilo Force. Senior officials from the CRPF, the ITBP, the NDRF, the BSF, the SSB and the police were present.

Apurva Chandra, Secretary to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had last month stated in Srinagar that this year’s Amarnath Yatra would be one of the biggest as around 6-8 lakh pilgrims were expected to take part in it.

Agencies have also decided to deploy anti-drone system on both the routes — Baltal and Pahalgam. From Kashmir to Jammu, security forces are getting indications that the conduct of pilgrimage this year will not be easy. On May 4, a cross-border tunnel was found in Samba after which the BSF stated that it would have been used to disrupt the annual pilgrimage. The Jammu-Srinagar highway, a route taken by pilgrims, passes through Samba.

An Army intelligence official informed that coordination meetings between different forces had already taken place to strengthen the security grid. “Several encounters have taken place in Kashmir recently, which is unusual ahead of Amarnath Yatra. This shows that there are many ultras hiding in different parts of the Valley and can be dangerous when lakhs of pilgrims arrive in J&K,” he said.

The police launched an intensive search operation along the yatra route in Pahalgam. The BSF is also conducting a search along the Jammu border to know if there are more tunnels.

The Amarnath pilgrimage could not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.

Vice Chief of army staff visits forward areas

• Lieutenant General BS Raju, Vice Chief of Army Staff, on Sunday visited forward locations along the Line of Control to review the security and the operational preparedness.
• A spokesman said he visited Sunderbani and Pallanwala sectors of the Crossed Swords Division and hailed efforts in maintaining security with a robust anti-infiltration grid.

Militants arrested

• Two ‘hybrid’ terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen have been arrested in Bandipora. An AK-47 rifle, two magazines with 30 live rounds, a pistol, a magazine, etc., have been seized.
• Abid Ali and Faisal Hassan Parray hail from Herpora Achan in Pulwama. They were caught in a vehicle at a checkpoint near near Wullar Vantage Aragam.