NEW DELHI: With the Amarnath Yatra set to begin from June 29 and keeping in view the recent spate of terror incidents in the Jammu region, the Central government has decided to further strengthen the security grid in Jammu and Kashmir by moving over 500 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to the Union Territory.
According to sources, senior officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducted a meeting with intelligence and security agencies, during which they assessed the requirement to strengthen security in the region.
The 500 CAPF companies to be deployed along the Amarnath Yatra route would include the CRPF, the BSF, the ITBP and the CISF. All the required forces would be moved from Punjab to Jammu, they said.
Besides the CAPF battalions, specialised forces such as the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment would also be roped in. Anti-sabotage teams will be deployed along the route to identify and neutralise potential terror threats.
Meanwhile, sources also revealed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called a meeting on Sunday to take stock of the security situation in J&K, and is expected to give broad guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations. Shah is also expected to review preparations for the annual yatra.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, J&K’s Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of CRPF Anish Dayal Singh, Director General of J&K Police RR Swain and other top security officials are expected to attend the meeting.