Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 16: Para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Prakash Mishra today held high level review of security arrangements in the Kashmir Valley with special regard to security of upcoming 59 days annual pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath ji cave shrine, beginning July 2.
Official sources said Mishra flew-in to Srinagar from New Delhi this morning for review of security arrangements especially for Amarnath ji yatra. CRPF comprised majority of Central Police Forces, which are deployed for security of the shrine.
“Like previous years also, this year too, the CRPF would be shouldering major responsibility for Amarnath yatra,” they said.
Today’s review by the CRPF DG was confined to the Kashmir valley but he will hold review of security and Shri Amarnath yatra arrangements in Jammu next week, they added.
The pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji will begin on July 2 this year and conclude on August 29 on the occasion of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
By and large, it is the CRPF which shoulders the responsibility of regulating the annual pilgrimage, sources said, adding it was in this context that the para-military force had to start its preparations for the yatra security well in advance
The top brass of the CRPF in Kashmir briefed the DG about the internal security scenario and security arrangements in the Kashmir valley and the arrangements being made for pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath ji yatra in cooperation with other para-military forces, Intelligence agencies and police.
The CRPF was expected to deploy over 70 companies for Amarnath pilgrimage security while about around 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces will be roped in from outside Jammu and Kashmir, which were given as additional forces to the State by the Union Home Ministry.
Sources said since there was no major decline in the militancy this year as compared to last year, the number of the companies which the CRPF would be deploying for the yatra security will be nearly the same. However, number of the companies could be increased depending upon the threat perception given by the Intelligence agencies.
Worthwhile to mention here that one company of the CRPF on an average has 80 to 100 personnel.
Only last month i.e. March 20 and 21 Jammu-Pathankot National Highway, which is used by Amarnath pilgrims, had witnessed two major terror attacks in Kathua and Samba districts in which three security personnel, two civilians and four militants were killed.
The National Highway right from Lakhanpur to Jammu and then to Srinagar, Pahalgam and Baltal is sanitized by the paramilitary and police forces before start of the Amarnath yatra.
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