After the ‘fidayeen’ strike on Khannabal-Pahalgam road in South Kashmir district of Anantnag, in which five CRPF personnel sacrificed their lives on Wednesday, the focus of the entire security grid has been shifted to ensuring ‘peaceful’ and ‘incident free’ conduct of the Amarnath yatra, starting from July 1.
Every year elaborate security deployment is made on ground zero, starting from the gateway of Jammu at Lakhanpur to base camps in Baltal and Pahalgam, but securing each and every four wheeler and passenger buses ferrying Amarnath pilgrims will be the biggest challenge this year.
Apart from securing 300 km long National Highway between Jammu and Srinagar, the biggest challenge this year would be securing every inch of the road route connecting interior roads with the yatra base camps and common routes taken by the pilgrims to reach Srinagar via Baltal and Pahalgam during the yatra period.
Series of IED blasts triggered by the fresh crop of terrorists, post Pulwama attack, in Kashmir valley and fresh threat of a similar strike is already giving jitters to the security establishment in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is also scheduled to visit Kashmir valley ahead of the start of the yatra on June 30. He is expected to chair high level security review meeting before heading to Amarnath cave shrine to offer special prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum.
Around 450 companies of para military forces are expected to be deployed to provide three tier security cover to the pilgrims along the entire yatra route.
In addition to this, the security grid is also going to utilise men from 300 additional companies,stationed in the state on account of Lok Sabha election duty,for area domination and patrol duties during the yatra period.
Exuding confidence, K Vijay Kumar, Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor, on Thursday said that sufficient precautions will be taken for the smooth conduct of the upcoming Amarnath yatra.
He also ruled out any security lapse in the killing of five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in a fidayeen attack.
“The attack took place where civilians were moving. The attack was not at a place of isolation. It was not a security lapse. Still only within seven to ten minutes proper action was underway to tackle the militant attack,” Kumar told media men on the sidelines of wreath lying ceremony of slain CRPF personnel at Humhama in Budgam district.
He said that the attack was claimed by the Al Umar militant outfit but the government is not giving it a complete credibility and that it is investigating the attack further.
Soon after Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assumed charge of Union Home Ministry he had chaired high level security review meetings to review yatra arrangements
Official sources said, “apart from additional deployment of para military forces the state police would be required to set up security check points in sensitive areas to ensure safety of pilgrims”.
In addition, Union Home Ministry has directed the state police and paramilitary forces to exercise extra caution during the movement of passenger convoy every day and prevent movement of unregistered vehicles and those without high security registration plate on the yatra route.