(HT)
Union home minister Amit Shah is set to visit Jammu for a security meeting on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding that all chiefs of forces involved in the security of Amarnath Yatra have been told to visit Jammu & Kashmir to review the security deployment in the region amid a high alert in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam.
This will be Shah’s first visit to J&K after Operation Sindoor and the second after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to be held from July 3 to August 9.
One of the routes for the Yatra leading to the shrine in Chandanwari is via Pahalgam where a terror attack on April 22 claimed 26 civilians and injured many more.
Additionally, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) held a review meeting for the Amarnath Yatra on Wednesday, officials privy to the matter said.
“The CRPF DG was in Srinagar. After the security review meeting, he also undertook an aerial survey of the Yatra route. Other DGs will also be visiting the UT in the coming days. Some are likely to fly to Jammu for the unified meeting of all agencies with the home minister on Thursday. The J&K governor along with top officials from all agencies involved in the UT’s security situation will be present,” an officer said requesting anonymity.
He added that after Shah’s meeting on Thursday in Jammu, the home minister is likely to visit civilian areas affected due to shelling by Pakistan during the military hostilities with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor earlier this month.
“Security will be heightened this time with the addition of more companies of paramilitary forces. In the coming days, there will be more clarity on the new initiatives that the forces will take this time,” another officer said.
On Tuesday, chief minister Omar Abdullah visited the Nunwan Base Camp of the Amarnath Yatra to review preparations for the pilgrimage.
Officials from the Border Security Force (BSF) have also said that there is heightened surveillance at the borders and that the forces are still keeping an eye out for infiltrators.
The force said that they are expediting the work to install powerful and more effective sensors, which can detect any movement from across the border.
Last year, nearly 512,000 pilgrims had visited the Amarnath shrine – the highest in at least 12 years, according to data shared by the Union home ministry.
