MHA clears record CAPF deployment for 57-day Amarnath pilgrimage

To smoothly conduct the 57-day-long annual Amarnath pilgrimage beginning July 3, over one lakh security personnel will be deployed on the ground to strengthen the security grid across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Union Home Ministry has already given its nod to deploy at least 670 companies of Central Paramilitary forces on the yatra duty.

This is the highest number of companies that are being deployed for the pilgrimage as the yatra this year is lasting nearly two months. During 2025, around 580 companies were deployed for the yatra duty.

The MHA approved the deployment plan after holding a series of security review meetings with the top brass of the Jammu and Kashmir police and other heads of the security agencies.

As the threat looms large on the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, the Central Government doesn’t want to take any chances with security arrangements.

With the launch of the Vande Bharat Express Train services between the twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board authorities are also anticipating a surge in the number of pilgrims.

Till last week, over 3.5 lakh yatris have been registered for this year’s annual Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage.

According to official sources, the 670 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be deployed from Lakhanpur up to the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, including base camps of Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal, Yatri Niwas Jammu, from where the convoy originates daily in the morning; Pathankot-Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways and all important twin yatra tracks besides other places and locations covered by the pilgrims.

According to official sources, the paramilitary forces will start arriving in June, and their field deployments will be over by the third week of June 2026.

In addition to this, the troops of the Indian Army and policemen from Jammu and Kashmir will remain deployed along the entire yatra route to achieve specific objectives.

The Indian Army troops mostly remain deployed in the outer cordon and secure heights along the yatra track, including the Shri Amarnath Ji cave shrine located in South Kashmir Himalayas, besides some parts of the National Highway. Different wings of the Jammu and Kashmir Police also dedicate their manpower during the yatra period to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra.

Besides setting up security checkpoints, the local policemen play an active role in maintaining law and order.

The policemen also remain vigilant during the yatra period to gather human intelligence to ensure an incident-free pilgrimage.

The jawans of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police, Jammu and Kashmir, are also geared up to provide foolproof security cover to the pilgrims travelling on board Vande Bharat to perform the annual pilgrimage. Adequate security measures have been taken in advance to ensure the safety of the track and the railway property.

Recently, Director General of J&K Police, Nalin Prabhat, while chairing a security review meeting, was informed that the paramilitary companies will start reaching the UT by early June and the entire deployment will be in place on or before June 25, i.e., around a week ahead of the start of the annual pilgrimage. The officers also briefed the DGP regarding the administrative and logistical arrangements made for the incoming Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies.