Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday directed the security forces to “pull up their socks” ahead of the flag-off ceremony of the Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 19 at a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar.

Chairing a meeting of the Unified Headquarters along with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Union Home Minister laid stress on conducting a fresh ‘security audit’ of the highest railway bridge over the Chenab river and along the entire rail route to ensure the successful launch of the train service to the Kashmir Valley.

During the meeting, Shah also emphasised securing ‘Jammu heights’ and intensifying anti-terror operations to completely dismantle terrorist safe havens, ensuring zero infiltration from across the border with Pakistan and choking the network of overground workers (OGWs) who provide logistics to sustain the ultras inside the Indian territory.

Before the security review meeting on the last day of his three-day-long visit, the Home Minister also reviewed various developmental projects in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior administrative secretaries of various departments at the Raj Bhavan.

Omar Abdullah was conspicuous by his absence at the security review meeting, even as the top Indian Army brass led by Army Chief was present.

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, GoC Northern Command Lt General Suchindra Kumar, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, GoC 15 Corps, GoC 16 Corps, GoC 9 Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, J&K DGP, chiefs of paramilitary forces like BSF, ITBP and CRPF, Inspector Generals of Police of Jammu and Kashmir divisions, along with Divisional Commissioners and other special invitees also attended the meeting.

According to sources, Shah was briefed on the security situation prevailing in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by senior officials.

A fresh assessment of the security situation prevailing along the International Border and the Line of Control was also shared during the meeting by senior Army and BSF officials.

The Home Minister also reviewed the preparedness for the coming summer months when the Amarnath Yatra takes place and tourism reaches a peak in the UT. Based on their feedback, a thorough discussion took place on adopting new counter-strategies to defeat the sinister designs of anti-national elements and infiltrating groups of terrorists.

In recent months, additional troops have been inducted on Ground Zero to track down the footprints of the foreign terrorists taking shelter in natural caves and thickly forested areas across seven districts of the Jammu region.

The multi-layered security grid was tasked to plug the gaps and block the escape routes of infiltrating terrorists by improving synergy among different wings of security agencies and improving human intelligence-gathering for launching area-specific operations. Troop deployment was also reviewed across the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch, as the region has witnessed fresh incidents of ceasefire violations and targeted strikes on troops from across the LoC.

The security forces are also contemplating setting up additional posts in the upper reaches of Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts to block traditional routes of infiltration of the Kashmir Valley.

Before the meeting, Shah also had a one-on-one meeting with the Chief Minister.

During his stay in Srinagar, the Union Home Minister announced that three more organisations have left the separatist Hurriyat Conference and declared their allegiance to the Constitution of India.

He said this is the growing endorsement of the Prime Minister’s vision about ‘Naya Kashmir’, where violence and hatred will have no place.

After he arrived in Srinagar on late Monday evening, Shah went to the Humhama area near the Srinagar International Airport to meet the family of martyred J&K Police Dy SP, Humayun Bhat. The Minister offered his condolences to the family and spent nearly 20 minutes with the late police officer’s father Ghulam Hassan Bhat, a retired IGP. He also offered condolences to Fatima, wife of the martyred police officer, and blessed the 20-month-old child of the officer. L-G Manoj Sinha and CM Abdullah accompanied the Home Minister.

Humayun laid down his life on September 13, 2023, while fighting a group of terrorists in the forests of Kokernag tehsil in Anantnag district. Known for his professionalism and bravery, the officer was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra.